Not With the Eyes, But With the Mind
by boldlikeblack
Summary: Rachel is more than a little psychic. Don't own Glee, obviously
1. Prologue

Rachel wasn't kidding when she told the rest of the Glee kids that she was a little bit psychic.

From the time she was very small Rachel knew things other people didn't know. She knew who was on the other end of the phone before her family had Caller ID, heck; sometimes she answered the phone before it rang. She knew things would happen before they did. That's why she had been so adamant about Finn coming back to Glee. She knew they would only win Sectionals if he was with them.

The first time Rachel had an honest to goodness psychic vision, however, was when she locked eyes with Noah after offering to let Quinn beat her up. To the outside observer, their eyes only met for a moment, but for Rachel it was an eternity.

She looked deep into Noah's hazel eyes and tried to convey how sorry she was that he had gotten hurt because of her obsessive-compulsive needs to tell the truth and win everything, including Finn. Then there was a buzzing in her ears and the whole world faded away.

Everything turned gauzy, like a dream, and her nose filled up with the smell of hot sand and burning candles. The clothes she's wearing are no longer soft, but kind of rough and scratchy like one ply toilet paper.

The fluorescent hallway lights have dimmed and she knew instinctively that it was night. Rachel is still staring at Noah, but he doesn't really look like himself. His eyes and mouth are the same, but the rest of his face is different. He's more tanned than she's even seen him, even more so than the time he cleaned her neighbour's pool, and his hair is so long it brushes his shoulders. There's a neat beard adorning his face and he looks bone tired.

Just a moment ago, they were alone in a school hallway, but now they're somewhere else and they're surrounded by people. A man she doesn't recognize is holding her hand. Rachel knows that this man is her father, just like she knows that Noah is still Noah even if he doesn't look like himself. There's an older woman next to Noah, smiling kindly even though she looks careworn.

The woman lifts Noah-but-not-Noah's hand and holds it out towards her. Rachel's father-who-isn't-her father does the same, placing her hand in Noah's upturned palm. The woman next to Noah smiles and her eyes fill with tears.

Something inside of Rachel is expanding rapidly as she stares into Noah's hazel eyes. She feels hot all over and her insides are pushing to bursting. Noah's mouth curves into a tender half-smile that she's only seen once before and then he speaks.

The language he speaks isn't one she knows, though it sounds a bit like Hebrew, but she knows what the words mean.

_I am Noah, and I am yours._

Her heart launches into her throat as the answering phrase spills from her mouth in the same language she doesn't know.

_I am Rachel, and I belong to you._

Noah steps down hard. Rachel hears the sound of breaking pottery and the world comes screaming back into focus.

Noah's eyes are full of questions, but Rachel ripped her eyes from his gaze and looked down at the floor before walking away.

She made it all the way to the second floor girl's washroom before she collapsed into sobs, shaking and wondering what just happened.


	2. Egypt

**A/N: Wow, I'm amazed. This is by far my most popular story. It took off like wild fire and blew my mind. Thank you so much for alerting, reviewing and faving this. It's kind of a present for all those people who loved my one-shots and asked me to write multi-chapters. I obviously don't own this, but I love playing in Fox's sandbox, so enjoy!**

***

Rachel didn't sleep well the night before Sectionals. She had planned to. She had even gone so far as to take a nice relaxing bath around eight o'clock, utilizing the lavender bath salts her fathers had bought her to ease sore muscles after dance competitions. Rachel's fathers had wished her goodnight earlier than usual and she had tucked herself into bed around nine, expecting to fall right to sleep.

The last thing Rachel consciously remembered was lying or her back, staring at the glow-in-the-dark stars on her ceiling.

Rachel wasn't one to remember her dreams, but the dream she had on the night before Sectionals would be burned into her mind forever.

***

_The sun was hot, but Rachel knew it would not reach its peak for hours. She set her washing basket down next to the fountain and began filling up her water urn for the day. Noah was labouring on Pharaoh's great temple this day and Rachel knew he would be thirsty, dry and tired when he returned. He could probably drain the whole urn by himself if he tried._

_Rachel smiled at the thought of her Noah lifting the great urn to his mouth and draining it dry. She tried not to focus too much on how the muscles of his arms would ripple with strength, lest her blush show the other women around the fountain where her thoughts had strayed. Rachel was truly blessed that her father had chosen such a handsome, loving man for her to marry._

"_Good morning, Rachel," one of the other women said, dragging Rachel from her thoughts._

_Rachel smiled brightly. "Good morning to you, Jochebed. I trust you are well this day?"_

_Jochebed smiled and moved around the fountain to take a seat next to Rachel, juggling her little son on her hip. "I am very well," she said, passing her son to Rachel's open arms._

_Rachel smiled and kissed the boy on the cheek. "And how is little Moses today?"_

_Jochebed's smile fell from her face, only briefly. "He has been restless this morning. Of course it is no help that Aaron will not stop pinching at his cheeks," she said, levelling a look at her three year old son where he sat under the watchful eye of his seven year old sister Miriam._

_Rachel brushed a hand across her stomach absently with a smile. She had missed two cycles of blood recently, and though she had not bloomed to the gentle roundness characteristic of those with child, she knew in her heart that she carried her husband's son within her._

"_Will you soon share my joy, Rachel?" Jochebed said with a knowing smile._

_A blush streaked across Rachel's cheeks as she handed little Moses back to his mother. "Please, say nothing. I have yet to tell Noah the blessed news."_

"_I will keep your secret, not only because you are my friend, but also because you have won me a few extra loaves of bread."_

"_What?"_

"_Do not look so surprised. Your Noah is very...affectionate...and we did not think it wrong to make a friendly wager or two at how long after your joining you would find yourself with child. We see how much he loves you, Rachel, and we knew it would not be long."_

"_Jochebed..." Rachel began, before being interrupted by the sound of feet pounding towards them._

_Rachel looked up to see her husband running towards him, terror etched on his face. She practically flew to his side, checking him over for hurts. "How do you fare husband mine?" she asked._

_Her took her palms and kissed them gently before looking hard into her eyes. "Pharaoh's men are coming," he said._

"_What?" she asked, as Jochebed joined them._

_Noah swallowed thickly, obviously shaken. "Pharaoh's men are coming for the children."_

_Jochebed drew in a sharp hiss of breath and clutched Moses to her breast._

_Noah's hands were slick and cold against her own. "They are coming for the males. I saw them in the outer quarters. They took Isaac's boy and dashed him against the wall," he said, resting his face against their joined hands._

"_No," Rachel said, "they would never do such a thing. It is too horrible."_

_He shook his head. "They cut the babe from Leah's womb, Rachel; from her very womb. They just left her there to bleed."_

_Rachel kissed his hands and turned swiftly to Jochebed. "Send Miriam and Aaron home, quickly."_

_Jochebed nodded and went to speak to her children._

"_Friends," Rachel spoke loudly, "my husband has come with distressing news. Pharaoh's men are on their way. They are coming for the babes, the boys. Take your children from here and hide them. If you are with child, hide yourselves, as Pharaoh's men will steal the children from your wombs without a thought. Go now!"_

_The women scattered like so many birds and only Jochebed was left. Rachel picked up the basket of her washing with determination and started throwing clothing on the ground until only a blanket was left. The steady thump of footsteps drew closer as Rachel held the basket out to Jochebed._

"_Dear friend," she said softly, "There is little time for you to hide him. Place the babe in the basket and run. Run fast and far. I know you are resourceful. You will find a way to keep little Moses safe."_

_Jochebed nodded her head shakily and took the basket. She wrapped Moses in the blanket and placed him inside. "Thank you, my friend," she said, taking off as swiftly as her feet would carry her._

_Rachel turned back to her husband and took him in her arms. "Fear not, Noah. All will be well," she said. "You were so swift to come to us; you have saved many babes this day."_

_Noah pressed a kiss to her temple. "We have saved many babes this day," he corrected, "who but you could organize the women so swiftly?"_

_Pharaoh's soldiers chose that moment to invade the courtyard. One man, tall and thin, grabbed Rachel by her arm and pulled her from Noah's embrace. She reached for him as he fought against the soldiers holding him._

_The leader of this band struck Noah across the face and Rachel could not hold in her scream._

"_Where have they gone, Slave," the soldier demanded._

_Noah laughed. "Who? There is no one here."_

_The soldier struck him again. "The women, boy, where are the women? They are known to gather here. We know you have seen what we are here to do. Where have you sent them?"_

_Noah laughed again. "There is no one here. I know not what you speak of. I have seen and done nothing this day that I would not have done any other."_

_Then the soldier turned on Rachel and took her chin in his palm, squeezing it until tears welled in her eyes. Rachel focused on Noah's eyes and prayed not to cry out._

"_Is this your woman, boy?" the soldier asked, "She is quite beautiful, for a slave girl. Perhaps you should tell me what I wish to know. If you do not, I may be overtaken by her beauty..."_

_Rachel watched in horror as Noah broke the hold of his guards and ripped the soldier away from her with a primal howl. Noah's fists blurred as he drove them into the soldier, again and again. Then it was over, as swiftly as it had begun. There was an awful, wet, sucking sound and the shiny tip of a blade shone brightly out of Noah's chest. The blade was quickly removed and Noah's shirt coloured with blood._

_Rachel began to scream as Noah fell to the ground, his face a mask of surprise. He shook with wet coughs and Rachel used all her strength to tear herself from the grasp of the tall, thin soldier who held her. It wasn't hard; the soldier himself looked as though he might be ill._

_Rachel fell to Noah's side, weeping. She placed her hands over the wound on his chest and pressed down hard, praying the flow would stop._

_The leader of the soldiers sneered and brushed himself off. "Come along, men," he ordered, "we have work to do. Spare no pity for this fool."_

_The laughter of the soldiers would haunt Rachel's dreams until the day of her death._

_Noah coughed and tangled his hands in her hair, pulling their foreheads together. His teeth were bright with blood. "Rachel," he said, "my beloved. I am sorry."_

"_There was no slight, my love, for you to be sorry for," she answered quickly._

_The coughs took him again and she held him tight._

"_I am sorry to leave you. We have had so little time...I do not want you to be alone."_

_Rachel took his hand and pressed his palm to her stomach. "You will be with my always, Noah my love."_

_His glazed hazel eyes went wide with wonder and then the coughs ripped through him, spraying her face with blood._

"_I am Noah," he wheezed, "and I am yours...forever."_

_Rachel's tears fell like rain. "I am Rachel," she answered, "and I will belong to you always."_

_His hazel eyes closed for the last time and Noah let out a shuddering gasp. Then he stilled and Rachel fell upon his cooling form, weeping. She feared she would never stop._

***

Rachel shot up in her bed, shuddering and crying. She spent the rest of the night curled in a ball, shaking. She didn't manage to get any sleep until she was on the bus to Sectionals, with Noah sitting a few rows away, alive and well.


	3. The Road

**A/N: Please don't get too used to me turning out chapters so fast. School starts again on Monday, so I'm just trying to make some headway on this before I get back to the grind. I'm so pleased with the reviews you folks have been giving. And to Stroplok, the religious aspect was for historical value, but I'll keep your scepticism in mind. Don't own it, never will.**

***

On the road home from Sectionals, Rachel looked behind her to where Noah was sitting alone. Quinn was wedged between Brittany and Santana, chattering excitedly. Finn, who still refused to speak to Noah, was driving Mr. Shue's car back to Lima.

Though everyone else, Rachel included, was excited and loud after their triumph, Noah was quiet. He held tension in his jaw and his hazel eyes were clouded. It might just have been the after-effects of the horrific dream she'd had the night before, but it was almost physically painful for Rachel to see Noah looking so upset. Of course, he would simply say he was being a bad-ass, and that bad-asses don't do upset, only brooding, but it Rachel knew the difference.

Rachel screwed up her courage and made her way to the back of the bus. As she neared Noah's seat, the bus hit a bump in the road. Rachel was thrown forward, landing directly in Noah's lap. Her cheeks flushed as she looked up at him with wide brown eyes.

Noah went from surprised to smirking in an instant. "I knew you'd be back, Berry," he said, running a hand down her arm lewdly, "Women can't resist coming for a second helping of Puck-loving."

Heat streaked up her spine and Rachel blushed deeper before she scrambled out of his lap and took the seat next to him. She took a few deep breaths before fixing a smile on her face and turning to him. "While I'm sure your charms are quite formidable, I simply came to tell you what I thought of your performance today," she said.

Noah's eyes narrowed and he snorted. "So you're here to tell me what I did wrong? No thanks, Berry, I'm not interested in hearing it."

Rachel's temper flared and she tried to push it down to no avail. "Why must you always think the worst of people, Noah? I wanted to tell you that I thought you did well today. Even with the...situation...you rose to the occasion and lived up to your potential."

"What language are you even speaking right now, Berry? The rest of us have a hard time translating from Crazy to English," he drawled.

Rachel looked away, rubbing her hands together. "I'm trying to say that I'm proud of you. You did very well today."

"Chill, Berry," he said, "I didn't do anything different today than I would have done any other day."

Rachel whipped her head around to look at him so fast that she nearly gave herself whiplash. "What did you just say?" she asked, her heart suddenly racing.

Noah rolled his eyes at her and then patted her head like she was a small child. "I sang just the same as at every practice, midget. It was no big deal."

Rachel felt hot all over and her vision clouded. For a moment, this Noah was overlaid with the image of the one from her dream. Her eyes filled with tears and her stomach rolled.

"If you're going to yak, do it somewhere else!" Noah snapped, pushing himself as far into the side of the bus as he could.

Rachel's vision cleared and she shook her head. "I'm not going to humiliate myself by being ill, Noah. I just...I'll just...go sit somewhere else," she said.

"Whatever, Berry," Noah scoffed.

Shaken, Rachel made her way back to her former seat, pointedly ignoring creepy Jacob Ben-Israel on the way. She dropped onto the seat and ran her hands through her hair.

What was happening to her?


	4. Masada

**A/N: So, I just watched Dollhouse and got inspired by the tragic demise of such an amazingly written show. I hate Fox and its tendency to ruin good things before they come to fruition. Thank you for all your reviews, favs and alerts. My inbox is full of e-mails giving me the heads up and I love it! This isn't mind, I'm only playing.**

***

The next time the visions took Rachel, they've been silent for over a month. She had enjoyed a period of renewal with the Glee kids, where her "stock" had soared. For the first time in her life Rachel had real friends.

Surprisingly Kurt was the first one to bond with her, followed by Artie and Mike, then Tina, Mercedes, and Brittany. It took a while for Quinn and Matt to come around. Even Santana became friends with Rachel eventually. Rachel and Finn became friends without actually agreeing to be friends, though sometimes she was put off by the adoring look in his eyes.

The only member of Glee that hadn't become friends with Rachel was Noah. Kurt informed her that Noah was still under the impression that what he said the day she broke up with him still stood, so they aren't friends because they never were friends to begin with and Rachel was fine with Noah's reasoning.

She watched him when she was sure he wasn't looking. Rachel often wondered if the rest of the kids notice how sad and withdrawn Noah has become. He hasn't laughed, joked, thrown slushees or threatened anyone with bodily harm since Babygate broke. The guilt ate away at her every time she watched him stare at Quinn's stomach longingly. It pulled her down like lead every time Noah made an attempt to patch things up with Finn and was rebuffed.

She wanted to reach out to him more than she wanted Broadway, but after the dreams before Sectionals, the thought of doing it terrifies her. Rachel remembered that even though she was trying to picture Noah as Finn, there was something uncomfortably electric and final between them when they kissed.

Sometimes the guilt for hurting Noah makes Rachel afraid to sleep. The possibility of more dreams makes her afraid too. There are nights she stays up until dawn breaks because she can feel the gauzy haze coming up behind her like a thief in the night and if it isn't one reason for not sleeping, it's the other. Kurt scolds her because the bags under her eyes are murder for him to cover up under the stage lights.

Mr. Shue has roped the Glee club into performing at the school's annual Winter Concert on the last Friday before break. They were going to sing 'Holly Jolly Christmas', 'Last Christmas', and, at Rachel's suggestion, 'When You Believe' from the Prince of Egypt soundtrack.

Mr. Shue even made them have another Diva-off to decide who would be Whitney and who would be Mariah. Mercedes and Santana, of all people, had managed to win the spots, with the rest of the Glee club singing back-up, except Rachel and Noah who were singing a Hebrew hymn in counter-point to the rest of the group.

On the day the vision took her, Rachel had come early to the choir room to warm up, as was her habit. She had not slept well the night before and had been dragging herself around all day. When she sat down at the piano bench to warm up, she closed her eyes for a moment, just to rest them.

Rachel shouldn't have been surprised when she fell right to sleep.

***

_The dirt floor was cool under her cheek as Rachel willed herself to sleep. Unfortunately, the babe inside her had his father's need to be forever in motion and would not settle down for the night. She rubbed her hands across her stomach and silently begged him to cease. It was hard enough to sleep with the steady thump-thump-thump of the Romans laying siege to their barricades without the wiggly babe tossing and turning inside her._

_Her eyes barely closed before a hand curled around her shoulder and jerked her away from sleep's embrace. Rachel slapped at the hand and closed her eyes once more._

_Hot breath puffed against her ear. "Is that how you greet the man you love?"_

_Rachel frowned and sat up. She placed her hands on her hips before facing her husband with a frown. "It is how I greet the man I love when his child will allow me no rest."_

_Noah's hazel eyes softened and he smiled in such a way that she could not help but return it. "There will be plenty of time to rest soon, Rachel," he said, tracing her cheek with a worn palm._

_Her eyes took in his visage and her heart quickened. He was so handsome. Few had eyes of his colour and none looked so good with their hair clipped short in the Roman style. Many looked down upon her husband for emulating the Romans, especially here behind the walls of the fortress their people, but Rachel preferred his close clipped hair and clean-shaven face to the unruly curls and full beards many of the other men wore. It made it easier to see that her husband was the most handsome of all the suitors her father could have chosen from._

_Noah pressed kisses to her palms and then up her arms before crushing his lips to her own. Though his need brought a great fire inside of her, Rachel pulled back. "Noah," she said, blushing, "we must think of the babe."_

_Her husband's eyes glimmered in the torch light. "They are saying that the Romans will breach the fortress in the next night. We will not surrender, Rachel."_

_Fear pulled at the edges of Rachel's mind. "If they break through, we must surrender, my love. If we fight we shall surely die."_

_Noah pulled her in for another bruising kiss. "If we must die, it will be by the blow of familiar hands," he said._

"_Noah, no. We must not," she gasped in shock._

_He kissed a trail down her next and ignored her hands as she attempted to swat him away. "Noah, stop."_

_He looked at her seriously and she was taken aback at the lack of mirth in his eyes. He was, by nature, a merry and jovial man, but his eyes were cold when he spoke. "I will not lie to you, wife. The men have drawn lots. We shall all fall by the hand of another, except for the last man who will have no hand but his own to take him away from this life."_

"_Noah, we cannot. God's eyes do not fall kindly upon those that slay another."_

"_What other choice do we have, Rachel?"_

_Rachel clutched her hands across her swollen belly. "What about our son? Would you deny him a life?"_

_Noah stood and stalked away in anger. His eyes glittered with madness when they fell on her again. "It would be no life! If the Romans did not slay you for your disobedience to their rule, they would take you and put you in chains. My son will not live a life in chains! I will not have you survive only to be used for the pleasures of some filthy Roman beast who would work you until your last breath and fill you with children of his blood. I cannot allow it, Rachel. My love for you and our son is too great."_

_A tear rolled down her cheek as she went to him and held him close. Noah kissed her fiercely, again and again. "Please, Rachel, please understand this is what must happen," he begged._

_The grim reality of the future she would have after a surrender to the enemy set in and she nodded. "When will it take place?" she whispered._

"_At first light," he replied, resting his forehead against hers in a way that had become custom between them._

"_Then this is the last night we share?"_

"_Yes."_

_Rachel pressed her lips to Noah's and tangled her hands in his clothes, rife with need. "Then I belong to you," she whispered, "this night, and always."_

_Her husband returned the kiss with great fervour. He blazed a trail of hot, breathy kisses up her neck to her ear. "I am yours," he whispered, "forever."_

_They worshipped each other that night, with hands and mouths whispering on sweat-slicked skin. With no witness but the flickering torches, they came together as they had always done, with their hearts and minds and bodies entwining._

_After the last caress was spent and the last declarations of love made clear without words, Rachel and Noah redressed. She faced him with hard eyes and laced their fingers together. "Who among us has drawn my name, dear husband?" she asked in a voice watery with fear and lost chances._

_Noah hung his head and palmed the dagger on his belt. She raised his face and kissed him softly. "Make it swift then, with as little pain as you can manage," she requested._

_He nodded. "I will try, my love, but I fear there will be great pain."_

"_Will you stay with me until it is over?" Rachel wept._

_Noah kissed her and did not bother to hide the tears on his face. "As long as you need me," he said._

_The shame and terror in Noah's eyes hurts more than his blade in her side. Breathing soon becomes difficult and his fingers tangle in her long dark hair. Rachel uses her strength to smile at him. "I forgive you," she wheezes._

"_I wish you wouldn't" he says._

_The last thing Rachel feels is the brush of Noah's lips against her own._


	5. What Dreams

**A/N: I can't stop writing. Also, if you're not liking the tragic turns of events Rachel's visions, it might be a good idea to either steel yourself against the sniffles, or decline to read. There's a lot more tragedy in store for our OTP before this story is through. Again, I don't own this.**

***

Rachel lashed out wildly at the hand on her shoulder shaking her awake. When she opened her eyes she saw Noah standing over her, holding his cheek. Rachel thought she saw a flicker of concern in his eyes before it was covered up.

Without thinking, Rachel jumped off the bench and pulled his hand away, examining Noah's face carefully. Luckily, she just stopped herself from pressing a kiss to the injured area to ease away the pain. Noah pushed her hand away and moved out of her personal space, rubbing his jaw softly.

"I'm so, so sorry Noah. I had no intention of striking you; I simply lashed out. I didn't hurt you very badly did I?" she babbled.

"I'm fine," he grunted.

Rachel placed her hands on her hips and stared him down. "You are not fine. You are white as a sheet," she stated, taking in his less than tanned complexion.

Noah's eyes were on fire in an instant. "You were screaming, Berry. You were screaming bloody murder. I rushed in here, ready to get all bad-ass on whoever was like, killing your crazy ass, and you were asleep at the piano screaming your head off. If I was any less manly and awesome, it probably would have been terrifying."

Rachel sat in the nearest chair and combed her hair back from her face. "I haven't been sleeping much lately," she explained.

"Like I care, midget," Noah scoffed, rolling his eyes.

"Well you should," she hissed, "since I'm losing precious hours of sleep because of you!"

Noah loomed over her and Rachel was engulfed in a cloud of his scent. Mint toothpaste and Old-Spice mixed with something distinctly Noah and cut off Rachel's cognitive functions at the pass. He ran a hand through her hair and gave her the 'cougar-lure' smirk. "You're losing sleep over me, Berry? Never thought I'd see the day. Here I was thinking you only dreamed of Finn."

Rachel swallowed thickly and turned into Noah's hand, which had moved from her hair to ghost along her cheekbone. She couldn't help it when the corner of her lips dragged against his palm. Both of them froze and Rachel turned to look Noah in the eye.

"I can never express how sorry I am for telling your secret, Noah. I had no right to tell Finn about the baby. I didn't even think about what it would do to you. I regret that the most."

Noah looked away from her and started to move away. Rachel caught his wrist and squeezed it gently. "Please, Noah, just listen."

"Fine," he said, scowling.

"I should have thought about the consequences my 'trout mouth' would have before I spoke. I didn't want you to be hurt. I honestly didn't. You can deny that you're hurting all you want, but I see it on your face every day and it's awful. It eats away at me. That is what keeps me up at night. I never, ever wanted to cause you pain. Everyone has forgiven Quinn for her indiscretion but no one has forgiven you, when she was just as much a part of it as you were."

Noah looked at the ground and tried to pull his hand away again, but Rachel only let it slip enough to lace their fingers together. "Look at me, Noah," she said.

His eyes were so bright that they burned out all the fear she should have had. "I forgive you, Noah. I forgive you for lying to Finn. I forgive you for sleeping with your best friend's girlfriend. I forgive you for the slushees, the eggings, the awful comments on my MySpace page, and for every unkind word you have ever said to me. I know it isn't much, coming from me, but I forgive you."

Noah tore his hand from her grasp and ran it through his hair, pacing back and forth. Finally he turned to her and spoke. "I wish you wouldn't," he said finally.

"Noah..." she began, only to be interrupted as Kurt and Mercedes burst through the door, laughing.

He didn't speak to her for the rest of Glee, but his voice and his steps seemed lighter. He even cracked a smile at one of Mike's jokes.

When she went to bed that night, Rachel slept better than she had in weeks.


	6. Jerusalem, part 1

**A/N: Wow, I'm in awe of all of your kind words. I still don't own this, but I hope you like what I'm doing with it. I've got the rest planned, so stick with me and enjoy the ride.**

***

After her semi-confrontation with Noah, Rachel noticed that he seemed to be doing better. He started acting more like himself; skipping math for naps in the nurse's office, being late to class because he was buying slushees and that filthy dip he liked from the convenience store, goofing around with the football guys, and making freshmen tremble in fear at his 'badassness."

Though he hadn't spoken to her since their strange meeting in the music room, Rachel was happy with this return to normalcy. While they were dating, she was pleased when he was happy, but ever since she started seeing...things...Noah's happiness had become something that had the ability to make or break her day. It made Rachel a wonderful, warm, glowing kind of happy to see Noah smiling again. Of course, he mostly smirked, but that was really beside the point.

While it was strange for Rachel to have her feeling so dependent on another person, on Noah Puckerman no less, she found herself accepting the situation. Rachel's acceptance and willingness to just go with whatever was happening to her made all the tension surrounding her strange dreams and visions disappear. In fact, the visions themselves dried up after she and Noah had last spoken.

Needless to say, the vision Rachel had at the Winter Concert after party that Kurt hosted hit her hard.

It came on her while she was sitting on Kurt's couch, drinking soda and talking to Brittany. The sweet, if slow, Cheerio was busy lamenting the bird that Miss Pillsbury had made her take out of her locker and Rachel took a moment to look for Noah. He was laughing at something Mike had said. Noah hade his head thrown back and his hazel eyes were sparkling with mirth.

The vision slammed into Rachel with all the force of a run-away train.

***

_A bark of laughter caught Rachel's attention as she descended the stairs into the courtyard. Standing beside her husband, there was a man in dusty mail. He had his head thrown back and he was laughing with abandon, but Rachel could not see his face as he had yet to remove his helm._

_Her husband's brown eyes were warm as they fell upon her. He held out a fair hand to her and beckoned her forward. Rachel schooled her features into a cool mask befitting a lady of her recent station. She placed her hand in her husband's and turned to face their visitor._

"_May I present to you my wife, the Lady Rachel?" her husband asked, offering her hand to the stranger._

_The man removed his helm and tucked it under his arm before taking Rachel's hand and bowing down to press his forehead to it. When he looked up at her, he stole Rachel's breath. This man had the most amazing eyes she had ever seen. They were not brown, nor were they green, but some extraordinary shade between the two, flecked with gold and amber. The man smiled at her and stood, releasing her hand._

"_Lord Gwyn," he began, addressing her husband, "you are a lucky man indeed to have been blessed with such a great beauty as your wife."_

_Rachel tanned cheeks flushed crimson and she focused her eyes on the loose stones on the ground by the stranger's feet. Her heart took wings at the man's compliment and she silently prayed for it to slow._

_Gywn laughed and took her hand once again. "My lady wife," he said, "this is Sir Noel. He has come to join my company."_

_Rachel inclined her head, acknowledging Sir Noel as she had been taught was proper for a lady. She found that she could not meet his eyes. She looked up at her husband when he tugged on her hand. "Sir Noel has yet to secure quarter in the city and I have offered him one of our rooms for the while. I am required to attend the king's audience this afternoon. Perhaps you could show him to quarter and ensure that he provided with fresh clothes for this evening's banquet?"_

_Rachel nodded dumbly and Gwyn pressed a cool kiss to her cheek. "I shall return then," he said, striding off towards the stables to collect his horse and leaving Rachel alone with Sir Noel._

_Of course, they were not entirely alone. There were still the servants to think of. Rachel was still having a difficult time adjusting to her station. She often found it unpleasant to be surrounded by people all the time. She had gone most of her life without the assistance of others, and she did not care for people to think she could not feed and bathe herself. Masking the frown that pulled at her mouth each time she followed this line of thought, she addressed Sir Noel._

"_If you would please follow me, Sir Noel, it would be my pleasure to show you where you may rest."_

_Sir Noel smiled at her again, lazily this time. "I would prefer to be addressed simply as Noel, if it would not offend," he said._

_An unladylike snort slipped from Rachel's mouth. "I assure you that it would not offend me, sir, though my husband would not view it so kindly," she stated._

_Sir Noel just continued to smile as he, and a few of the servants, followed Rachel out of the courtyard and up the stairs._

_They walked for a few minutes in silence, which Rachel found pleasant, unlike the oppressive silence that so often fell between her and her husband. She stopped at a large door at the end of one of the smaller halls and reached out to open it. One of the servants slipped in, silent as the grave, and opened if before she could put her hand down. Rachel suppressed a sigh of frustration._

_She stepped into the room and swept her skirts to the side as she turned to face her guest. "This chamber is quite lovely. The sun reaches it in the morning, so it will be cool in the evening. This will be a boon to you, as most recent arrivals to our fair city have trouble adjusting to the heat."_

_Sir Noel walked around the room, running his hand along the furniture as if he were examining the craftsmanship. The mail he wore jangled like the coins of the headdresses the king's sister so often favoured. Rachel's heart beat heavily as she observed the careful way the knight's hands stroked along the heavy posts of the bed._

_Praying her hands would not shake, she pointed to smaller doorway set into one wall of the room, hidden behind a fine curtain. "This room also offers a private bath. If you desire to bathe before the feast tonight, I will have the servants fetch water for you."_

_He looked down at his hands, examining them slightly. "I think," he said with a grimace, "that would be for the best. It would be of no use to dress in fresh clothes only to cover them in the dirt of the road."_

_Rachel turned to the servant nearest to her and searched her mind for the girl's name. The girl simply stared at her with a moody pout and angry, dark eyes. "Sabina," Rachel said, trying to place an air of authority to her command, "please fetch fresh clothes for our guest and have Arturo bring water for the bath."_

_The girl flounced out of the room with a barely concealed roll of her eyes, leaving Rachel and Sir Noel alone save the two men standing outside the door. "If there is anything else you require," she said with a sweeping gesture to the room, "let me know and I will see that it is done."_

_Sir Noel surprised her by taking a knee before her and grabbing her hand. He placed his forehead against the top of her hand and a lick of heat blazed up Rachel's arm. Before she can protest, he stood. "Thank you," he said, "for your most generous hospitality, my lady."_

_Not trusting herself to speak, Rachel simply nodded and exited the room._

_***_

When Rachel's vision comes back into focus, she is on the floor with Noah looming over her, barking orders at people. He sent Mercedes to get more towels from the kitchen and then he looked down and realized Rachel was awake.

Rachel's head was still fuzzy from the vision and she couldn't focus on what Noah was saying. Noah touched the side of her head gently and she winced in pain, noticing for the first time that both the side of her face and the area under her nose were sticky.

"Focus, Berry," Noah ordered, touching the side of her head again.

Rachel blinked a few times and struggled to a sitting position. The room started to spin and Rachel place a hand on Noah's shoulder to steady herself. "How did I end up on the floor?" she asked, dazed.

Noah took the towel that Mercedes had just handed to him and pressed it to the side of Rachel's head. "Pretty sure you fainted, midget, and smoked your head on the coffee table on your way down."

Rachel forced a smile. "While your explanation is feasible, I assure you, Noah, I do not faint."

Brittany fluttered to her side and shook her head. "You totally did faint, Rachel. Your eyes went all glazed, like mine do when I try to do math, and your nose started bleeding. I went to get you some Kleenex, but when I came back you just went splat!" the blond said, complete with hand gestures and wide eyes.

"Thank you for trying to help, Brittany," Rachel said, kindly.

Then Rachel was up on her feet with Noah's hand around her waist. His hand brushed against the sliver of bare skin where her shirt had ridden up and heat streaked up Rachel's side.

"You know, Berry," Noah said, shaking his head, "I'm getting pretty damned tired of this whole knight in shining armour bullshit."

As Noah dragged her into Kurt kitchen, presumably to call her fathers for a ride home, Rachel couldn't help but laugh.


	7. Murphy's Law

**A/N: Hey look...a new chapter. Though it goes without saying that Glee doesn't belong to me, neither do most things I mention. Case in point, I mention a novel by a lovely lady who dislikes fanfiction written about her characters. I don't know how she feels about the mere mention of her spectacular works, but hopefully her people don't demand that this come down. This is a little more upbeat than usual, but I hope you like it!**

***

The first day back after winter break had been awful. Someone, Karofsky most likely, had decided to revive the tradition of showering Rachel from head to toe in ice cold slush, even though the jocks usually took an unofficial slushee-break during winter. Since Rachel had not received a slushee shower after 'Slushee-War '09' had ended, she hadn't packed a change of clothes. She was forced to wear what she had packed for gym clothes.

Rachel tried to hold her head up high after the morning slushee, but it was hard to do while wearing her daddy's '80s jogging shorts and a worn McKinley HS athletics shirt that she'd unearthed in her closet the night before. The shorts were so short that they were practically underwear and Rachel had to knot the bottom of the t-shirt so that it didn't look like she was wearing just the shirt. Plus, her pink argyle knee socks had not been spared in the attack so she was left roaming the school in the middle of an Ohio winter in shorts and flats.

To top it all off, the hand driers in the girl's bathroom were broken. Rachel was forced to squeeze the water out of her hair and braid it away from her face to keep it from curling and tangling as it dried.

And that was just the morning.

At lunch, Rachel lost a contact lens and she had to pull her old emergency pair of glasses out of her locker so that she could see the board in the remainder of her classes. She could have forgone the glasses and sat at the front of class, but Rachel had no intention of sitting next to Suzy Pepper. Even before Rachel's unfortunate crush on Mr. Shue, Suzy had made her very uncomfortable.

Then there was the Glee practice after school.

At the end of the day, all Rachel wanted to do was to go home, curl up with JR Ward's _Lover Awakened_, because Zsadist never failed to make her insides turn to mush, and relax for the evening. She didn't want to do homework or even sing. There was a headache forming behind her eyes and Rachel was starting to feel the disconnection that usually signalled a vision was coming. She hoped that it wouldn't hit her that night because she didn't think she could handle a vision after the day she'd had.

Since Rachel was having a very unlucky day, Mr. Shue was clearly not in the mood to let the club out early like he usually did. He had decided that in order to beat Carmel's Vocal Adrenaline at Regionals, New Directions would have to do something really great. Mr. Shue had decided that 'something really great' consisted of a mash-up of Cher's 'Shoop Shoop Song' and Dion's 'The Wanderer.'

Rachel became convinced that, at least on this particular day, God hated her because Mr. Shue decided to put Mercedes as lead female with Mike, surprisingly, as her counterpart, as well as assigning Noah to be Rachel's partner for the choreography.

She spent the entire practice trying to ignore the looks that Kurt was giving her for being a fashion disaster, as well as trying to ignore the electricity that danced under her skin every time Noah had to touch her. It was difficult considering the number of lifts and spins that Mr. Shue expected them to do. Every time Noah's warm hands settled on her waist, Rachel's heart started to pound, making her headache worse.

With the worsening of the headache came a greater feeling of disconnection that signalled an upcoming vision. Rachel had to sigh because her plans for a lovely evening spent with the Black Dagger Brotherhood were ruined.

Noah would not stop touching her. It was maddening and exhilarating all at the same time. Eventually during the breaks in choreography, he just left his hands on her waist like they belonged there, which Rachel supposed to a certain extent they did since they had apparently been lovers in previous lives. His touch made her feel hot and prickly. It also made Finn glare at Noah for the entire rehearsal.

When rehearsal was finally over, Rachel packed up her things as quick as she possibly could. She took one step towards the door, nearly tasting the freedom that was within her grasp, only to have her path blocked by Finn. He was staring at her with his big, brown eyes and smiling nervously. Rachel's stomach sank.

"Hey Rach," Finn said, rubbing his hand on the back of his neck, "I was wondering if we could talk for a minute."

Rachel held in an exasperated sigh and gestured to the plastic chairs at the side of the room. "Sure Finn. What did you need?"

Finn took a seat and smiled at her. Rachel sat down on the chair next to him and wondered when his smile had stopped making her stomach do flip-flops. She still cared for Finn, but she was no longer sure if she cared for him in a romantic way.

"Are you doing anything on Friday night?" Finn asked.

Rachel blushed. This couldn't be happening right now. She couldn't even fathom dealing with this, on the worst day ever. "I have ballet class on Fridays, and then Dad and Daddy take me for dinner," she answered.

"Oh," Finn said, with his face falling. Then he smiled again. "What about Saturday?"

Rachel touched her forehead lightly. Her head pounded so hard that she nearly grimaced. "We have temple in the afternoon and then my aunt is coming for dinner and board games."

"Okay. Do you think we could maybe go out next weekend? If you're free, I mean. I know how you like to plan stuff really far in advance so..." Finn trailed off.

Rachel tried to put on her best, most understanding smile. She placed her hand on Finn's arm and made sure she had his full attention. "Finn," she said gently, "I don't think it's a very good idea for us to go out, unless it's on a purely platonic basis."

Finn sighed. "I guess you're right. I'm still trying to get over the whole Quinn thing, you know? It probably wouldn't be fair. You're, like, really smart. Thanks, Rach."

She just nodded as Finn picked up his bag and left. She let her head fall into her hands and she massaged her temples. Finn had completely the wrong idea about why she wasn't interested and Rachel simply didn't have the patience to explain it to him at the moment. She just sighed and moved to pack up her things, hoping that her trench coat would be keep her warm enough while she waited for her bus.

Noah's voice breaking the quiet of the music room was like an instant heart attack. "Gotta say, Berry, I thought you'd be all over that the minute Finn grew the stones to ask."

She glared up at the mohawked boy who was silently leaning against the piano. "People change, Noah," she said.

Noah shook his head in disbelief. "You say that now, but everyone knows you're his girl. It's all written in the stars or some girly shit like that. What made you turn down Saint Finn of Lima?"

Rachel pinched the bridge of her nose. "When something is wrong...you just feel it," she said, grasping for words to explain without having to go into detail about the visions that had left Rachel conflicted about the men in her life.

Noah nodded.

"Is there anything else you require, Noah?"

"Well, you are wearing my shirt," he said with a smirk.

Rachel blinked. "I think I would recall if you had misplaced clothing in my home."

"It got soaked in that stupid rainstorm we had when we were practicing for the Young MC mash-up. You said you'd wash it and give it back. Guess you just forgot, or whatever."

"Would it be acceptable if I were to wash it and bring it tomorrow? I'd give it to you now, but my other clothes are covered in cherry corn syrup."

Noah's eyes hardened. "Who did it?"

"Noah," she began.

"Just tell me who did it, Berry, and you can keep the damn shirt."

Rachel sighed. "It was Karofsky and his gang of ill-mannered, unwashed baboons. Please don't retaliate, Noah. I'd rather you didn't incur significant penalties due to some misplaced sense of chivalry."

"Think of it as, like, a thank you, or whatever."

"Why would you need to thank me?"

Noah shrugged and Rachel realized that he was alluding to the day she had forgiven him. "I would like to have plausible deniability," she said, hoping that Noah understood that she knew what he was talking about.

"You won't know a thing," Noah said, smiling and grabbing the handle of her pink rolling backpack.

"What are you doing?" Rachel asked.

"Driving you home; duh. If you think I'm letting a fellow Jew hang out at the bus-stop in the middle of winter wearing those shorts with those hot librarian glasses, you're crazier than I thought."

Rachel smiled. "Thanks."

"Whatever," he said.


	8. Jerusalem, part 2

**A/N: Wow. I am so lucky to have all of you wonderful readers and reviewers. I wasn't going to post a new chapter until next week, but I spent the day in and out of the doctor's office and the radiology centre (getting x-rays on my leg FTW) and I had nothing but time to figure out a way to thank you all for the kind words that were the highlight of my terrible day. I hope you like this chapter. Bonus points of you can spot the semi-crossover and the homage to one of Mark Salling's real life interests.**

***

Rachel had never been happier to see the inside of her bedroom than she was after Noah dropped her off at the end of the worst day ever. Her heart was racing in her chest as she ran up the stairs and closed her door.

Noah had stopped to pick up some more dip at the convenience store and while Rachel was sitting in his truck the world had started slipping in and out of focus. The last thing she wanted was to have a vision in Noah's truck outside of a convenience store. As the last threads of the present were slipping through her fingers, Noah had returned and pulled her from the vision by slamming his door and pushing a grape slushee into her hands.

Rachel had looked at him questioningly, remembering the last time he brought her a grape slushee. Noah didn't acknowledge her as he reversed the truck out of the lot. They had sat in silence for the rest of the ride to her house; Rachel drinking her slushee and Noah chewing his dip.

When her bedroom door clicked shut behind her, Rachel locked it. She switched her daddy's shorts for a pair of flannel pyjama bottoms and climbed into bed. Breathing slowly, she sunk into the mattress and opened herself to the disconnection. The world blurred as the vision washed over her.

***

_Rachel wrung the cloth out in the basin of water by the bed and frowned at the deep red colour the water had become. She faced the man lying before her and wiped away the blood that had welled in the cut across his chest while her back had been turned. The wound was not terribly deep, but the blood would not stop flowing._

_Troubled, she looked to the young man seated on the opposite side of the bed. "Arturo," she said, "I need you to go to the market."_

_Arturo met her gaze with one that was serious and resigned before nodding._

"_There is a stall nearest to the Jewish quarter," she continued, "above the stall is a sign with two great black birds painted upon it. Go to that stall and request to speak its owner. Only its owner; do you understand?"_

_Arturo nodded once more._

"_He is a man from the East. He will smile a jester's smile and you will know that this is the man you seek. From this man you must purchase herbs for a tea to replenish lost blood, as well as herbs to guard against fever and illness caused by a wound. Take this purse," she said, handing him a velvet bag, bulging with coins, "and go swiftly. The cost is of no consequence. If there is any coin left after the purchase, you may keep for your assistance. Go now."_

"_Yes mistress," Arturo said, flying from the bedside as if the great winds that stirred the sands of the desert carried him._

_The man in the bed uttered a soft moan and Rachel turned her attention back to him. Carefully, she pressed the cloth in her hand against the weeping wound and murmured words of comfort. The beads of sweat on the man's brow glimmered in the candlelight and Rachel's heart slid into her stomach. She had not expected the fever to set in so fast. She began reciting a prayer that the man before her would not die before Arturo could return with the herbs she had requested._

_Rachel's mind flew back to the day she had discovered the great secret about this man. She had entered the estate's chapel, quickly crossing through it to the anteroom behind, only to be stunned to find another kneeling in the place she considered hers alone._

_Words that she had known since the beginning of her lifetime, spoken with great softness and reverence, were falling from the lips of the kneeling man with unaccustomed grace. With his eyes closed in prayer and the sunlight creating a nimbus around his dark hair, he was the most beautiful thing that Rachel had ever seen._

_She attempted to turn quietly and exit the room, intending to wait in the chapel beyond until he was finished, but her foot caught on one of the stones and she tripped into the candelabra nearest the door, knocking it and its unlit candles to the ground with a clatter._

_Sir Noel's exquisite eyes were aflame with anger when they fell upon her._

_Rachel held her hands before in a gesture of apology. "Be at peace, Sir Noel. I apologize for my interruption."_

"_Why are you here?" he asked, venom lacing his tone._

_Rachel righted the candelabra and stepped to one side of the doorway, looking at everything in the room but Sir Noel. "My faith brings me here," she said, "as does my husband's kindness in allowing me to keep my faith after we were wed."_

_Sir Noel's eyebrows arched in surprise, bringing a soft smile to Rachel's lips. "It was against the wishes of his father and mine, but after battle took his father and illness took mine there were none left to oppose. Many of the other lords were outraged, but the King viewed our marriage as evidence of the peace he has worked so hard to nurture."_

_Rachel stood before Sir Noel and placed her hand upon his arm, "How is it that you came to be a knight, Sir Noel? I had thought that all crusaders were required to believe in the God of the Christians..."_

_Sir Noel pulled his arm from her grasp and ran his hand through his hair. "My father," he said, "wanted nothing more than to be a knight. When I was a young boy, he took me far from our home and bribed a neighbouring lord to take me as a squire. I was warned never to reveal the circumstances of my birth or my true name. The lord prized my strength and the skill I developed with the blade. He sent me here, to bring him the riches of the holy land. I am not sure why I am telling you this, as I am certain the punishment for my treachery is death."_

_Rachel shook her head. "I will keep your secret, Sir Noel, in exchange for one thing," she said._

_He stood straighter and looked down at her from his far greater height. "What is it you wish of me, my lady?" he asked._

"_Your name, Sir Noel, simply your true name."_

"_Noah," he whispered huskily, "my name is Noah."_

_Rachel held her hand out to him. "Will you stay a while longer and pray with me, Noah? It seems like it has been so long that I have prayed alone."_

_As he slipped his hand into hers, a strange look washed over Noah's face. "I am yours," he said, "in prayer."_

_That was the beginning of Rachel's journey to unravel the mystery that Noah had become. In the many months since then, Rachel had discovered that the young knight was a courageous and caring young man, regardless of the hard and devious image he presented to others. They spent many hours in Rachel's sanctuary, praying and sharing stories of their lives. She confided in him her fears that her father would be so ashamed of what she had become, and he in turn had told her about the mother and sister that he'd been forced to leave behind as a boy._

_The heat from Noah's touch never dissipated, nor did the feeling that her heart somehow transformed into a bird whenever she was in his presence. Noah's laughter and smiles sent her heart racing and she often wished that Noah, like her husband had done so many times, would press his lips against her own. This secret wish was both shocking and shameful for Rachel. It was improper and sinful for her to feel this way for any that was not her husband._

_The moment she had seen Noah appear in the courtyard, draped across Arturo's shoulder, with his shirtfront soaked with blood, she realized that whatever fondness she felt for her husband paled in comparison to the depth of love she held for this brave knight who had somehow managed to become everything to her._

_Rachel had not hesitated to race across the courtyard and pulled Noah's other arm over her own shoulder. Together with Arturo, she had managed to take the man up the stairs and through the halls to the guest chamber he was still using. She had sent Arturo to occupy the other servants with another task while she removed Noah's shirt to inspect his wound._

_Rachel's father had often assisted those who were injured and sick, so she was very familiar with the care that should be applied to most injuries. When Arturo returned with a basin of water and clean cloths, Rachel was grateful. The boy was also very fond of Noah, and was known to follow him, acting as a squire whether Noah cared for it or not. The boy did not even flinch when she began tending to Noah's wound._

_When she had asked about the circumstances of the injury, Arturo had appeared to be waging an internal battle about whether or not to tell her what had happened. In the end, the boy apparently decided to tell her._

"_It happened at the tavern, my lady," he said, "the one nearest the Templar lodgings."_

_Rachel continued to tend to the wound, nodding encouragingly._

_Arturo frowned. "Sir Noel overheard one of Lord Guy's men saying awful things..."_

"_About?" Rachel inquired._

"_You, my lady. They were saying terrible things about you, because of your heritage."_

_Rachel frowned._

"_He was only upholding your honour, madam, as any knight of the house is charged to do. He challenged the other man to a fight. The other man got in a lucky blow to cause that wound, but you should see what Sir Noel did to him. It was worse than anything they say Saladin's men do to the knights," Arturo finished with a shake of his head._

"_We should expect to receive soldiers of Lord Guy's house who come seeking retribution then?"_

_Arturo shook his head again. "They were all too frightened to say anything. They swore never to say a word about you again, and then they ran off. It was like they were touched by the hand of God."_

"_I will owe him my thanks when he wakes."_

_Arturo had nodded affirmatively. Arturo and Rachel had sat in silence for hours as she valiantly tried to staunch the bleeding across Noah's chest._

_Noah's pained moans pulled Rachel from her memories and she ran a hand across his sweltering cheek in an attempt to soothe him. He turned his face into her hand and his lips brushed against her palm. Rachel felt like his fever had traveled up her arm and into her chest. Her eyes welled with tears at the thought of losing the only man who was able to make her feel so much with such a simple touch._

_Rachel bowed her head and prayed that Arturo would return. She whispered the words she knew so well and asked God to forgive her for loving someone who was not her husband, and not to take this man from her life so soon._

_Her prayers were interrupted when Gwyn entered the room. He stood across the bed for a long time, just looking at Rachel. She busied herself by checking the wound under the cloth, where the blood flow had thankfully slowed. Gwyn took the seat that Arturo had vacated and placed his head in his hands._

"_He is a good friend," Gwyn said finally._

"_He was doing his duty," Rachel replied, mopping the sweat from Noah's brow._

_Gwyn shook his head. "No," he said, "it is more than that. He knows how much I love you, and how it hurts me to hear the things they say about you. Sir Noel is a good friend because he went beyond his duty to ensure I would no longer have to suffer that pain."_

_Rachel refused to meet her husband's eyes as Noah moaned in pain again. Her hand itched to run through his dark hair, but she could not treat him with such tenderness while Gwyn was in the room. Instead she wiped the sweat from the knight's brow._

_Gwyn smiled kindly at her. "You are so kind. I can tell that you are not untouched by Sir Noel's gesture. It warms my heart to see you care for my dear friend."_

_If her husband really knew how deeply Rachel cared for Noah, she was sure his heart would be warmed with anger instead of happiness. Thankfully Arturo entered with the items she had requested. The boy's eyes momentarily filled with fear when they landed on Gwyn, but Rachel shook his head. Arturo nodded, understanding that Gwyn had no concept of the obvious feelings Rachel had for the injured knight._

"_Perhaps it would be wise, my lord, if you were to apprise the rest of our retinue to the situation and have them join you in the chapel to pray for his recovery."_

_Gwyn nodded. "You are very wise, my lady. I shall do it."_

_Arturo quietly stepped aside as Gwyn took his leave. He handed the package to Rachel, and she unwrapped it greedily. "If you could fetch me some hot water before you join the others in the chapel, I would be very grateful, Arturo," she said._

_The boy nodded and made way for the kitchen, leaving Rachel alone with Noah once more. Rachel took a small bowl of oil from the table beside the bed and carefully mixed the oil with some of the herbs tied with a blue cord. She spread the mixture over a clean piece of cloth and gently pressed the cloth over Noah's wound._

_Arturo returned, setting the hot water down beside Rachel. At Rachel's gesture, he helped to lift Noah off the pillows so that Rachel could wrap a bandage over the poultice she had applied. They placed several wadded blankets behind Noah's head so that he would not choke when Rachel poured the drink down his throat._

_Arturo bowed formally before exiting the room and heading to the chapel to pray for Noah's swift recovery. Rachel took a few of the dried flowers that were tied with a length of red cord and crumbled them into the hot water. When she was satisfied they had brewed enough, she took the cup that Arturo had been clever enough to bring and raised it to Noah's lips._

_She pushed his lips opened gently and poured the warm drink down his throat, whispering softly to him all the while. She repeated this action with two more cups of the drink before setting the cup aside and taking Noah's hand. As she watched him ease into a steady sleep, she sighed. Placing her hand against his forehead, Rachel was pleased to find that Noah's fever had broken._

_Satisfied that he would be safe and healthy for a little while, Rachel closed her eyes._

_The next time she opened them, dawn's light was filtering through the window. Something brushed against her cheek and she tried to push it away, wanting nothing more that to sink back into sleep. Rachel was startled to full awareness when rough fingers entwined with her own._

_Noah was awake, propped against the wadded blankets behind his head. While his face was unnaturally pale, his hazel eyes were bright. Rachel was unable to help herself and she pressed a soft kiss to his knuckles. "God has my thanks this day, for seeing you are well again," she said._

"_I thought I had died," Noah said, "but I heard your voice and knew I still lived."_

_Tears ran down Rachel's cheeks as she pressed a kiss to his wrist, and then to his elbow. "I was so afraid for you."_

_Noah ran his hand through her hair. "I would have been proud to die defending the woman I love."_

_Rachel was struck silent. "You love me?" she asked._

"_How could I not? I have been yours since the moment I first saw you, and I will be yours forever."_

_The only response Rachel could give was to stand and press a soft kiss to Noah's lips. She kissed him under each eye and then in the center of the forehead. Taking his face in her hands, she said "Though I am Gwyn's wife, my heart is not truly his. I belong to you."_

_Noah surged forward as best he could in his injured state and captured her lips in a kiss._

***

Rachel woke up with a start, pressing her fingers to her lips gently. Dazed, she heard her fathers calling her to come down for dinner.

Stuffing her feet into her pink novelty pig slippers, she made her way out of the room, throwing the now-melted grape slushee into the garbage bin by her desk.


	9. Routine Adjustment

**A/N: You guys are awesome! Kudos to those of you who spotted the references to birds in the last chapter. Mark Salling is always talking about his interest in ornithology. Also, to those of you who spotted the Kingdom of Heaven references, go team! I should have the next chapter or two up later this week, but I hope this one keeps you guys interested until then!**

***

Friday morning found Rachel bundled up on her porch in her favourite blue coat and mitts, holding two steaming travel mugs; one full of herbal tea and the other full of hot chocolate. Around 8:15, she heard the familiar rumble of Noah's truck driving down her street. She smiled as he pulled into her drive way, like he had done each morning since her terrible day.

Rachel had been surprised the first time. She had rolled out of bed later than usual on Tuesday morning and rushed through her morning routine before sprinting out the door to catch her bus, only to stop in shock as Noah's truck pulled into her drive way. When she'd gone up to the window and asked him why he was going out of his way, Noah had simply said "It's cold as balls, just get in the damn truck."

And so the routine began. Noah picked Rachel up every day around 8:15, which was later than she would have liked because school started at 8:30, and dropped her off at the end of the day, provided he didn't have basketball practice.

Rachel had started bringing Noah hot chocolate on the Wednesday as a thank-you. Today she even had a container of her special 'Thank You!' sugar cookies for him to take home to share with his little sister.

They never talked on their rides to and from school, but Rachel was okay with the silence. She was nearly giddy at the thought of having Noah as a friend.

When Rachel hopped up in the truck, Noah accepted his hot chocolate with a grunt. He waited for Rachel to buckle her seatbelt before backing out onto the road. Rachel smiled at him brightly before casting her gaze out the window and watching the snow covered town fly by.

The sky was clear and the sun was shining brightly. Rachel couldn't help but feel that it was going to be a great day.

***

Rachel's cheerful mood lasted until just before lunch, when Karofsky and his gang of buffoons cornered her coming out of second floor girls' washroom. Karofsky smirked and his hand flicked out. It was like watching a train wreck in slow motion. One moment Rachel was smiling to herself and the next she had orange ice dripping down her face and hair. Karofsky and his buddies sauntered away, laughing their heads off.

Very upset, Rachel walked to her first floor locker to get a change of clothes. Orange globs of ice plopped into the floor as she walked, making people go out of their way to avoid her. After getting her clothes from her locker, Rachel turned to go clean herself up and nearly had a heart attack when she almost walked into Brittany.

The blond Cheerio looked confused, then sad, and finally angry. She turned to Mike, who was holding her hand, and shot him a glare before grabbing Rachel by the shoulders and effectively frog marching her to the nearest girls' bathroom. Once inside, Brittany pulled a stool up in front of the sink and shoved Rachel down before pulling out her phone and texting furiously.

Within minutes, Rachel was under the faucet with Brittany gently washing the slushee out of her hair. The door opened with a slam, making Rachel jump as she came face to face with a very pissed off Santana Lopez.

"Thanks for coming, San," Brittany said with a smile, pushing Rachel back under the water for a rinse.

Santana smiled fondly at the blond. "You texted 9-1-1, Brit. What's the emergency?"

"Karofsky slushee'd Rachel again. I was kinda hoping you'd talk to him about it and convince him it was a really bad idea. Giving people slushee showers is really mean. It's, like, Coach Sylvester mean."

Santana nodded. "I'll take care of it."

Brittany pulled her wet hands from Rachel's hair and threw them around Santana's neck, kissing the other girl on the cheek with a loud smack. "You're the super best, San!" she said.

Santana just smiled before flouncing out of the bathroom on what Rachel presumed to be the warpath.

"Brittany," Rachel said hesitantly, "do you really like Santana?"

Brittany nodded, sending her ponytail bobbing up and down. "I like her a lot."

Rachel smiled gently. "Do you think it's fair to Mike that you're with Santana too?"

Brittany shrugged, handing Rachel a towel. "San's mom would get really mad if she knew San was with a girl. Her mom thinks that kind of thing is wrong. Her mom says that it says so in the Bible. Mike doesn't really mind that much, since he really, really likes Tina but he knows she likes Artie and Mike's kinda scared that they're, like, cousins or something 'cause Chang is her last name too. He likes that he can help me and San be together. Mike's a really nice person," she said.

Stunned, Rachel sat there with the towel paused mid-squeeze and blinked at the Cheerio. Brittany just smiled back and removed a make-up bag from her back-pack. "C'mon," Brittany said, "I'll do your make-up so pretty that Jerk-ofsky won't even want to slushee you."

"Jerk-ofsky?" Rachel said, disbelieving that a clever remark had just come from Brittany's mouth.

Brittany nodded, assessing two lip glosses. "That's what the football guys call him behind his back...isn't that a weird saying? I mean, Puck says it right to him all the time, so it's not really like Puck's standing behind him...Pink or Fushia?"

"Pink?" Rachel suggested, confused.

Brittany smiled and unscrewed the lid, moving towards Rachel with the lip-gloss wand in hand and a disconcertingly pleased look in her eyes.

***

After school, Rachel was studying her sheet music for New Directions' second number at Regionals when the door of the music room practically burst off its hinges. Noah stumbled into the room, supported by Mike's shoulder on one side and Artie's wheel chair on the other.

His face was an absolute mess. Noah's bottom lip was split and his nose had dripped blood down his shirt front. His left eyes was already swelling and bruising. His skin was littered with cuts and bruises. From what Rachel could see, the knuckles on both of his hands were skinned and bleeding.

Her heart pounded so hard she could barely see straight as she rushed to his side, taking over Artie's supporting position. With Mike's help, she dragged Noah to the nearest chair and sat him down.

"Noah?" she asked.

He smiled lazily at her, splitting his semi-coagulated lip open. "You look really nice," he mumbled.

"You have a concussion," she stated.

He smiled again. "You should see the other guy."

Rachel turned to Mike with a serious look on her face. "My locker number is 1408. It's in the hallway outside of Mr. Shue's classroom. The combination is 34-23-16. It would be exceptionally helpful, Michael, if you would retrieve the first aid kit that I have on the top shelf," she said.

Mike nodded and ran out the door. Artie wheeled into Rachel's line of sight as she turned Noah's face from side to side to examine the damage. Noah winced and tried to bat her hand away, but he was unsuccessful due to his concussion induced lack of coordination. "How did this happen?" Rachel asked, even though she had a very good idea about the cause.

Artie's blue eyes were solemn behind his glasses when he spoke. "Karofsky and his buddies were joking around about something. Puck just stormed up and started laying into Karofsky. He was raging Captain-Insano style. It was nuts!"

"If Noah had the obvious advantage, how did he end up looking like this?" Rachel asked.

Artie's mouth fell into a grim line. "Puck stopped for a split second and Karofsky started fighting back. I mean, Puck still won, but Karofsky got a few hits in."

Rachel nodded, blotting at Noah's lip with a tissue from the pack in her pocket.

Artie grinned. "Puck broke Karofsky's nose. It was pretty awesome. He smacked that jerk down like the hand of God."

Sighing, Rachel inspected Noah's lip carefully. Under all the blood from his nose, his split lip wasn't really all that bad. "Violence is never the answer, Artie," she sighed.

Artie shrugged and Mike ran back into the room, holding out Rachel's first aid kit. "While I'm sure that Noah will appreciate all your help, I'm fairly certain he would appreciate it more if you could keep the rest of the club outside while I take care of his wounds. Also, it would be beneficial if you could inform Mr. Shue that we'll be missing today's practice. I think it would be best for Noah to seek medical attention."

The boys nodded and exited the music room, leaving Rachel and Noah alone. She was surprised that Noah had managed to sit silently the whole time. His silence continued as she opened the kit and withdrew some alcohol wipes, butterfly bandages and antibacterial ointment.

When she met his eyes, they were full of wonder. "So much for plausible deniability," she snorted flippantly.

Noah smiled lazily at her again. "S'not my fault that you're smart enough to figure shit out. 'Sides," he slurred, "Jerk-ofsky should have known not to slushee you. He also should have known better than to shit-talk my girl where people could hear him. I got a reputation, you know."

Rachel touched the disinfectant wipe to the cut across Noah's eyebrow that she'd noticed in her inspection. He winced and tried to pull away, but she put her hand under his chin and he stilled. "Your girl?" she asked quietly.

"Yeah," Noah said, "we're two hot lookin' Jews. You're my girl. Like Finn, used to be my boy, but now he doesn't talk to me. You do, so you're my girl now..."

Rachel's heart plummeted to the bottom of her chest as she continued to clean Noah's cuts. He considered her to be his friend. Rachel should have been happy. So why did she feel like she had been kicked in the stomach? She internally scolded herself for letting the visions make her read in things that weren't really there. They were friends. She could be satisfied with that.

"Your hair is really shiny; did you know that; Berry?" Noah asked as Rachel applied a bandage to the cut above his brow.

"Yes," she said, "I use a number of products to ensure my hair is healthy, as well as getting it trimmed every six to eight weeks to avoid split ends and promote growth."

As she cleaned off his knuckles, Noah's eyes glazed over and his nose started to bleed again. Rachel panicked and gave him a light tap on the least bruised side of his face. Noah's gaze focused and he glared at her. "The hell, Berry?" he yelled.

Rachel applied anti-bacterial ointment to Noah's knuckles and kept her focus on them. "I thought you were going to become unconscious. I was scared. I apologize for hurting you."

"No big, I guess. I'm a badass. I can handle it."

Rachel finished bandaging Noah's knuckles and, on instinct, brushed a quick kiss over the bandage. "I'm going to need you to give me the keys to your vehicle," she said.

Noah stared at her blankly before the words sunk into his addled brain. "There's no way you're driving my baby, Berry."

"Noah, you are quite obviously suffering from a concussion. You will give me the keys so I can drive you to the clinic."

He stuck his hand in his pocket, wincing, and pulled out his keys. Dangling them in front of Rachel's face he shook his head. "I'm not going to the clinic. If I give them to you, you have to take me home. My mom's a nurse. She'll be home at, like, 5:00."

Sighing, Rachel ripped the keys out of Noah's hand and helped him to a standing position. He barely put any weight on Rachel as she helped him out the door.

As they passed the other Glee club members in the hall, Kurt attempted to get in their way, presumably to get the scoop on the Karofsky situation. Rachel silenced him with a sharp glare and kept on her way.

Neither Rachel nor Noah noticed the strange look that passed over Finn's face as they walked out the doors.


	10. Jerusalem, part 3

**A/N: Finally! I had such a crap time with this chapter. It was a real stop/start kind of thing, but I finally got the upper hand and wrestled my muse to the ground. Cross your fingers that I get a new chapter out before I head to Vegas next weekend. Also...the next flashback will involve one of the most awesome mean "girls" on TV. Let that percolate for a while. Hope you like it, because I enjoy playing in this sandbox. Not mine, don't own it, as always.**

***

_As the sun set over the walls of Jerusalem, it turned them crimson. Rachel shuddered and wrapped her hands tightly around her swollen belly. It was as if the very stones of the great city were soaked with blood. A feeling of dread seeped into Rachel's bones. Some great wickedness was on its way to the city. Suddenly cold, Rachel left the balcony and returned to her seat to finish the embroidery she had been working on._

_A quiet knock sounded on her door, so subtle that you could not hear it unless one knew exactly what to listen for. Rachel smoothed her plait before rushing to open it. Noah, well practiced, slipped through the opening easily. He pushed the door shut with his foot before taking Rachel in his arms and kissing her soundly._

"_How much time do we have?" she whispered._

_Noah kissed her again, harder and gentler at the same time. "Ibelin has called the lords together to plan a strategy, as the King Consort has seen fit to leave us defenceless with the Saracens at our gates. Gwyn has gone to see what we can do."_

"_Why are you not with him?"_

"_He asked me to ensure your protection and took Mathias in my stead. Arturo is keeping watch, he will notify us when they return."_

_Rachel took his hand from her face and placed it on the swell of her stomach. She watched the look on Noah's face turn to amazement as the child inside her kicked up into his hand. Rachel was unsurprised when Noah dropped to his knees and placed a kiss on her stomach. He had often done this since she had informed him that she was carrying his child._

_And it was his child, of that Rachel was certain. She had only lain with her husband once in the long months since she and Noah had found each other. She had seduced Gwyn shortly after she had missed her courses the second time. If Noah could not work out a plan for them to escape together, they had decided to tell Gwyn that the child had arrived earlier than expected. Rachel's soul ached at the thought of pretending another was her child's father, but Noah had insisted it would be for the best if they could not find another way._

_Rachel let Noah urge her back to her seat where she picked up the embroidery once more. He sat on the floor beside her, stroking her belly softly and singing the lullabies of their people to the child inside._

_Rachel's heart nearly stopped when the door to her chambers burst open. Gwyn stepped through the doorway, his skin flush with rage. With his right hand, he dragged in a bruised and bloodied Arturo, throwing the boy to the ground. Behind him, Rachel could see two of the other knights that had found place among their retinue, Mathias and Mica, as well as the serving girl, Sabina, whose dark eyes glittered with triumph. The house steward, Guilliame, entered the room as well, casting a wary look towards Rachel._

_Though her fingers stilled on the embroidery, Rachel did not rise. Neither did Noah. Gwyn crossed the room in barely two strides of his long legs and hauled Noah to his feet. His fist struck Noah hard in the jaw, throwing him against Rachel's legs. Her hands itched to check her lover's wound, but she forced them to stay on the hoop and needle._

_Gwyn raised his hand to strike Noah again, but when Noah made no move to defend, Guilliame placed a restraining hand on his lord's shoulder. "Tell the truth!" Gwyn snarled._

_Rachel steeled herself and set the embroidery aside. She reached for Noah's hand, finding it reaching for her own in return. Their fingers linked together as if they were meant to do so and they rose as one force._

"_I would hear it," Gwyn yelled, "I would hear it from you both."_

"_My lord," urged Guilliame gently, "perhaps a cooler temper should prevail."_

"_No," Gwyn hissed, pushing Guilliame's hand away, "I will not tolerate their dishonesty any longer!"_

_Gwyn stared at Rachel and the rage in his eyes transformed to helplessness. With his gaze, he begged her to let him be wrong. Rachel held her chin high. "It is true, Gwyn," she said, "Sir Noel is the father of this child."_

"_You purposefully deceived me?" Gwyn asked, stepping towards Rachel._

_Noah placed himself between them and stared him down. "It was you who believed her, my lord."_

"_It was never my intention to cause you pain," Rachel whispered, gripping Noah's hand tightly._

"_Take him," Gwyn seethed, signalling to his knights. The two men grasped Noah by the arms and dragged him away from Rachel, who held on as long as she could._

_Gwyn stepped forward and stared down at her. "We are ended," he hissed, "I wish that you would be gone from my sight."_

_Then he struck her across the face with a backhanded blow that was so hard Rachel thought the very stars in the heavens had taken residence on her ceiling. Blood streamed from her mouth and nose as she fell to her knees._

_Noah struggled so hard that he nearly broke free of Mathias and Mica's grip. Gwyn turned on him, waving away Guilliame's attempts to examine his bloodied hand. Gwyn closed his fist and struck Noah three more times, bringing the shorter man to his knees. Then Gwyn put his hand under Noah's chin and forced him to look up._

"_I was your lord and you betrayed your oath. I was your friend and you betrayed our bond. I was your...brother...and you cut out my heart with your treachery. For that I would put you to death."_

"_No!" Rachel yelled, crawling towards the two. Gwyn turned on her with a raised hand and Rachel shrank back._

_Returning to his former position, Gwyn once again took hold of Noah's face. "Though I know not why, God smiles upon you this day Sir Noel. Ibelin has need of every able bodied man he can find to mount a defence against Saladin's considerable forces. You will fight, as we all must, and, by the Grace of Our Father, you will fall. I dare say the Saracens will show you more mercy than I, if you live through the siege."_

_With that, Gwyn swept out of the room. Mathias and Mica lifted Noah to his feet and began to force him away. He slipped from their grasp for a moment, to cross the room and brush a kiss over Rachel's cheek. "Forever," he whispered._

_Rachel nodded, crying softly as the knights took hold of him once more. "Always," she cried._

_The knights dragged Noah from the room, stepping over Arturo as they did. With pitying looks to Rachel and to the broken boy on the floor, Guilliame exited the room. The lock clicked soundly shut._

_As Rachel wept, she pulled herself over to Arturo's prone form. The boy still lived, despite the beating he had subjected to. Slowly and gently, she began to tend to his wounds._

_***_

_Rachel and Arturo were released at the end of the siege. Like all the inhabitants of the city, they were made to leave. Rachel helped Arturo as best she could, as the boy was still injured and could barely walk._

_Rachel's eyes searched the caravan of survivors for Noah's face, though she knew in her heart that if he still lived he would already be by her side. She and Arturo passed by Gwyn on the first day of their journey, but he turned his eyes from them almost as soon as his gaze had fallen on the two companions._

_Beautiful, dark, angry Sabina rode behind Gwyn on his horse. She looked down upon Rachel and Arturo as they passed by, smiling haughtily. Rachel simply held her head high and urged Arturo onward._

_Mathias was the only person from their former lives that would speak to them. They came across him while searching among the survivors for a place to bed down for the night. He told them how Noah had lasted for the first part of the siege, only to fall when the wall was breached. Mathias' companion Mica had also fallen after the breach. For that evening, the three came together in mourning, but when morning broke Rachel and Arturo were on their own again._

_Together, they carried on._

_***_

"Rachel, sweetie, are you okay?"

Rachel's eyes focused and she turned her head to face her father. "I'm fine, Daddy. Why do you ask?"

Her father swallowed thickly yelled over his shoulder. "Jim, honey, where the hell is that towel?"

"Towel?" Rachel asked fuzzily.

"Baby, your nose is bleeding all over the place."

Rachel blinked tiredly as her dad handed her father a kitchen towel. "Caleb," he said, "this is the best I could do."

Rachel's father shook his head. "This will be fine, honey."

The towel was rough against Rachel's face as she put the pieces together.

She had spend the afternoon waiting with Noah until his mother got home, which she did at 5:15 sharp with his little sister Bekah in tow. After explaining, with full on theatrical tears and a very stretched version of the truth, that Noah was merely defending her honour as any good Jewish young man might, Ruth Puckerman had insisted that Rachel stay for dinner.

Rachel had politely declined, as her fathers would be expecting her, and was only permitted to leave after promising to come on another night. She'd then gone home and popped in West Side Story for the millionth time. Rachel was sure she'd fallen asleep before the vision had come on, but maybe she hadn't. The last thing she remembered before the vision hit was listening to 'America.'

The visions seemed to have nasty side effects when they took her by surprise.

Hence Rachel's current situation with her fathers staring at her with concern, holding a bloodied towel under her nose. When the bleeding finally stopped, they looked to her for an explanation. "Rachel, sweetie," her father began, "you aren't doing drugs are you?"

"What?" Rachel and her dad chimed in unison.

Caleb Berry stared at them. "Nosebleeds are a common side effect of cocaine use. Cocaine is a stimulant that some people use to keep on top of their many activities."

Jim Berry stared right back. "Our daughter is not a drug addict, Caleb."

Caleb sighed. "I know that. It's just that this is the second time she's had one this month and she's never had them before. Aren't I allowed to be worried?"

"Cocaine, darling, really?"

"It was the first thing that came to mind."

Rachel sighed. "Dad," she said, "Daddy, I assure you that I am fine. I can also assure you that, except for one incident where they were prescribed by the school nurse, I have never used any kind of stimulant to stay abreast of my highly structured lifestyle. That being said, I believe that the nosebleeds are simply a side effect of the lack of humidity in our home. Perhaps we should invest in a humidifier?"

Rachel's dad kissed her hair. "That sounds like a great idea, pumpkin. We'll pick one up while we're in Cleveland this weekend. How about you go wash your face and get ready for supper."

Rachel nodded, collecting the bloody towel from her father and leaving him alone with her dad to discuss possible makes and models for humidifiers.

She hated lying to them, but who could blame her for stating the first reason to come to mind?


	11. Battle Lines

**A/N: Oh short chapters, how you are my bane. I hope you like this one anyways. The next vision's going to be pretty long. It's another mini-crossover but you'll have to squint to see it. Here's a hint: It has to do with past lives too. Also, don't worry about Lindsey Lohan being mentioned. She's not the mean 'girl' I was talking about. Note the emphasis is on the mean, not the girl. Cheers!**

***

By 8:05 Monday morning, Rachel was at school getting ready for the day. Noah had texted her on Sunday afternoon to let her know that he had to drop Bekah off at school early for a field trip and he couldn't pick Rachel up, so she had gotten her dad to drop her off on his way to work. Rachel had spent the weekend trying to ignore Noah's obviously concussed texts and messages on her MySpace page. After her last vision, Rachel found that the thought of interacting with Noah created an almost instantaneous grapefruit sized lump in her throat.

Her plan for the day was to avoid Noah until Glee practice or, at the very least, lunch. Thinking about him brought memories of her vision and of his bruised and broken face from the previous week. She had started to wonder if it would be for the best if she broke off their friendship before she could cause Noah any more pain.

A touch whispered across the back of her neck and Rachel turned around quickly, losing her balance. A well-muscled arm wrapped around her waist to steady her and Rachel's hands splayed across a very firm chest. Looking up, Rachel found herself staring into Noah's sparkling hazel eyes. There was a dark bruise under the left one, bleeding into a vivid crimson-purple across his cheekbone. The rest of his face was a patchwork quilt of cuts and bruises.

Noah's mouth turned up in a half smile that set Rachel's heart racing and her palms sweating. He set her carefully on her feet, making sure she was balanced before pulling his arm away. "You know," he said, "most people would think someone who has taken as many dance lessons as you would be all graceful and shit."

"Don't cuss," Rachel said automatically.

Noah just rolled his eyes and leaned against the locker next to hers. Her plan for avoiding him was effectively destroyed. "Not everyone has swallowed a dictionary, Berry. I'm just working with what I got."

Rachel put the textbook for her first class into her rolling bag. "What you have, Noah, not what 'you got'. Also, not only is cussing rude, but it shows a distinct lack of imagination."

Noah smiled lewdly. "Oh, I've got imagination for days, midget. If you'd let me touch your boobs when we were dating, I would have been more than happy to show you just how much imagination I have."

Pinching the bridge of her nose, Rachel closed her locker with a slam. "Since you are obviously still suffering the side effects of your concussion, I'm going to overlook what you just said."

Noah merely shrugged and pushed off the locker to fall in step beside her as she walked toward her class. They walked in silence, making up for the morning's missed ride. As Rachel turned to go into her class, Noah stopped her. She was acutely aware of the heat of his hand through the shoulder of her blouse.

"If that douchebag messes with you again, you tell me," he said seriously.

"Noah, I don't want you suffering any more injury on my behalf."

Noah just rolled his eyes at her. "When have I ever cared what you want? We're, like, friends or whatever. It's kind of my job to have your back. Plus, then I can get some more of those awesomely dorky 'thank-you' cookies you make."

Rachel huffed and turned to 'diva storm' into the classroom. Noah's hand slipped down her arm and he tugged on her fingers. She turned to face him again.

"Seriously Berry," he said, "I'm not fuckin' around."

"Fine," Rachel said, pulling her fingers away. With a flip of her hair, she made her way to class.

***

Rachel didn't see Noah again until Glee practice that afternoon. She was reviewing her chemistry notes for an upcoming test when he walked in with Artie, who was chattering about some new 'sweet lick' he'd learned over the weekend. Rachel gave him a small smile before looking back at her notes. He waved and sat down near the piano to continue his conversation with Artie. Rachel completely missed the suspicious glance Finn threw her way.

The kids chatted amongst themselves until Mr. Shue burst through the door, tie slightly askew and normally unkempt curly hair in even more disarray than usual. The huge grin on his face told them that he'd just been to visit Miss Pillsbury. Rachel stifled an unladylike snort as Mr. Shue floated across the room, humming 'I Could Have Danced All Night.'

"Okay people," Mr. Shue said, "the name of the game is duets. You'll be pairing up, like when we did our mash-ups, and performing your duets at the next assembly. Your peers and teachers will vote on which one they liked best and we'll turn it into an ensemble piece for Regionals."

"Excuse me, Mr. Shue, but how exactly will partners be selected?" Kurt asked haughtily.

Mr. Shue smiled. "I'm glad you asked that Kurt. Last time we drew names, but this time I'm pairing you up based on voices that I think would be complimentary."

Mercedes opened her mouth to object, but Mr. Shue held up his hand. "You'll have two weeks to work out a duet and I know they'll all be amazing. I'm counting on you to get over your conflicts to put on an awesome show."

Mr. Shue pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket and read it over before smiling again. "So," he said, "you guys are pairing up as follows; Santana and Kurt, Tina and Matt, Mercedes and Mike, Brittany and Artie, Quinn and Finn, and lastly, Puck and Rachel."

Finn scowled and stood up, nearly knocking his chair over. "Hey Mr. Shue, I think you made a mistake."

Mr. Shue smiled, giving Quinn a kind look before speaking. "I've thought these pairings trough very carefully, Finn."

"It's just that Rachel and I are the leads, so we know our voices complement each other. We should be partners for this."

Mr. Shue shook his head. "Sorry Finn, no substitutions. I'm excited to see what you guys come up with."

"But Mr. Shue, you don't understand. Puck's not even close to good enough for her!" Finn shouted.

Before Noah could react in his defence, Rachel was up and out of her chair. Disconnected, she watched her hand swing back and connect with Finn's face, leaving a red palm mark behind. She hit him so hard that the tall boy fell to his knees. Rachel stared down at him coldly as everyone gasped in horror.

"Finn," she said, "your remark was unnecessarily offensive. Noah is exceptionally talented and hardworking. With my superior training and Noah's skill with the guitar, we should have no problem handing you your ass on a proverbial platter."

Finn merely blinked at her, not really sure what was going on. Rachel was struck by the insane need to see him cower before her, as his past self had made her cower while he'd inflicted pain upon Noah. The sudden burst of rage nearly choked her and she raised her hand to strike Finn again but covered it up by running her hand through her hair.

"Hey Berry," Noah said, drawing her focus away, "I thought you said cussing showed a lack of imagination."

Rachel strutted across the room to take her place by his side and shrugged. "I have…what was it you said Noah…imagination for days, which will come in handy when we pick a song that will allow us to eviscerate the competition, no offense Artie."

"Uh," Artie said, still in shock, "none taken?"

As she looked around the room at the faces of her teammates, Rachel realized that she would not be able to break off her friendship with Noah now, not even to spare him pain. She had clearly drawn a line and crossed it. There was no going back.


	12. Venice

**A/N: Just a little something for you to remember me by while I'm off on my sweet Vegas vacation. Enjoy. Also, if you can spot the crossover, you're amazing.**

***

Rachel was in the middle of a perfectly executed _fouetté rond de jambe_ _en tournant_ during her dance class on Tuesday evening when the world started to go hazy. Carefully finishing her series of turns, Rachel moved to the side of the class to stretch out on barre while the other students finished demonstrating their technique. She closed her eyes as she bent over her foot and stretched, breathing evenly through her nose in an attempt to circumvent the vision.

By the end of class, Rachel was nearly a boneless puddle on the floor. She could practically hear the blood in her temples, pounding in time with her heart. The colours of the ballet studio were fading pastels as she made her way out to her father's car. She kept her eyes wide open for the entire ride home, uncertain how long this vision would take hold of her.

"Sweetie, are you feeling okay?" Caleb asked, trying to keep his eyes on the road.

Rachel smiled weakly at her father. "Just a headache, Daddy. I've had one all day," she lied.

"Maybe we should schedule an appointment with Dr. Roth."

"Daddy, I'm fine."

"These headaches and nosebleeds have me worried, sweetie. I really think you should go see the doctor."

Rachel sighed, rubbing her temples. "If I still have a headache tomorrow, I would be more than happy to schedule an appointment with Dr. Roth for next week. I'm fairly certain that it's only the stress of the upcoming competition, as well as the personal conflicts between my teammates, that are causing this particular headache."

"Oh sweetie, things haven't gotten any better between Finn and that nice Jewish boy you were seeing?"

"No, Daddy, things between Noah and Finn have certainly not gotten any better," Rachel said as they pulled into the driveway. Her hand still hurt from the slap she had delivered to Finn.

Kissing her father on the cheek, Rachel dragged herself through the door and up the stairs to her bedroom. She didn't even bother peeling away her dance wear before she collapsed on her bed. The world faded out instantly, not giving Rachel time to brace herself for what she was about to see.

***

_The blood surged to Rachel's cheeks as the last strains of the high note washed out of her. The crowd, made up of customers and her fellow courtesans, exploded into applause. She inclined her head lightly, sweeping into a curtsy. Rachel accepted the kisses and praise of her customers as she made her way back to the couch where the other 'exotic' courtesans were seated._

_She gracefully took a seat next to Li-Mei, a girl from the Orient with kind eyes and a shy smile. Rachel spread her skirts around her, showcasing the rich fabric, and smiled brightly at Li-Mei. The poor girl could not speak a word of Italian, though she had been in the country for many years, but she and Rachel still managed to communicate._

_Rachel attempted to pay attention to the flirtatious conversation between Kassa, a full-figured, ebony skinned courtesan; Inez, a Spanish beauty with shrewd eyes and flawless caramel skin; and the tall, confused young man that had found himself in their clutches. Rachel smiled prettily at the young man when he looked her way, though she hoped that he would not be the one to secure her services for the evening's festivities._

_Rachel spotted the owner of the establishment, Madam Sylvestri, leading a familiar young man through the bevy of beauties sprawled out on couches and cushions in the hall. Rachel looped her arm through Li-Mei's, pulling the shy courtesan along with her as she made her way towards Madam Sylvestri._

_Stopping just before where the owner was standing, giving a lengthy exposition on the beauty and talents of this courtesan or that one, Rachel caught the attention of an unsure young man with the largest blue eyes she had ever seen. It was quite obviously the first time he had been in a place like this and he seemed unsure of what to do. Rachel missed neither the way Li-Mei's cheeks coloured, nor the way the young man's eyes shone as they fell upon Rachel's companion._

_Beckoning him forward, Rachel placed Li-Mei's hand upon the young man's arm. "Her name is Li-Mei. While she is often shy, she is very light on her feet. She would make an excellent dance partner for the evening. Li-Mei is also very kind and would provide a sweet and gentle introduction to some of our...more involved...services," Rachel explained._

_The young man swallowed thickly, before talking Li-Mei's hand and kissing it lightly. "Would you like to spend a few moments with her before making arrangements with Madam Sylvestri?" Rachel asked._

_The young man, who seemed to be just as shy as Li-Mei, simply nodded. "Her hair is so lovely in the moonlight; perhaps a short stroll around the courtyard will suffice?" Rachel suggested._

_Li-Mei offered Rachel a gentle smile before walking away with the young man._

_Trying not to appear to be eavesdropping on the owner of the establishment, Rachel made polite conversation with the men in the vicinity of where she stood. Coquettishly, she turned her head towards Madam Sylvestri and the young man the madam was speaking to. Rachel fluttered her eyes at the tall, confused gentleman who had somehow extracted himself from Kassa and Inez's clutches to seek Rachel out._

"_Perhaps Katrien would be more to your liking, Signore. She is quite simple and her Italian is very poor, but she is very beautiful for a Northerner. She would be more than pleasant company for this evening's revels," Madam Sylvestri said._

"_Madam, I have told you my preference, why do you feel you must dissuade me from my choice?" the young man asked, the frustration in his voice clearly audible._

"_Signore, please. I only wish to ensure the best experience in my establishment. My customers expect nothing less. And how can I ensure you are having the best experience if you only ever come for a single one? Variety is the key to happiness, after all," Madam Sylvestri said._

"_Madam..."_

"_You are a man with particular tastes, Signore, I know this. So I offer you something special, something that would not be available to just anyone. I offer you the company of my niece, Bianca."_

_Rachel could not help but turn in shock. Standing beside Madam Sylvestri was the most achingly beautiful girl that Rachel had ever seen. Bianca had long fair hair pulled up into curls and held in place with pearl headed pins. Her skin was milk pale, set off by the sea-green dress she wore. Her eyes were long lashed and green and she had full lips that would beg any man to kiss them._

_The young man conversing with Madam Sylvestri smiled and kissed the top of Bianca's outstretched hand. Then, turning to Madam Sylverstri, he said, "While your niece is a great beauty and I am honoured that you have offered her to me, I believe she would be more to the liking of my companion Vincenzo, so I must regretfully decline her company. I am here as always, Madam Sylvestri, for Rachel."_

_With a momentary frown, Madam Sylvestri's eyes found Rachel and she snapped her fingers, pointing beside her. Rachel walked slowly to the spot, allowing the tall young man to escort her. "Yes, Madam Sylvestri, what may I offer you?" she asked._

_Madam Sylvestri's voice was tight when she spoke. "The signore has secured your services for the evening. Ensure that his experience at Carnival is the very best that Venice has to offer."_

_Rachel nodded her head, slipping her hand out from her escort's arm and looping it through the outstretched arm of her customer. The young man clasped hands with Rachel's former escort and said, "Tell me Vincenzo, have you met Bianca?"_

_The tall young man, Vincenzo, stared at Bianca for a moment before pushing his hair away from his face. "I cannot say I have had the pleasure, my friend."_

"_Perhaps you should," the young man told his friend with a knowing smile. Then, tugging Rachel's arm gently, he said "Come along, bella, there is so much to see and to do and so very little time to accomplish it all."_

_***_

_They barely made it out the front door before passion consumed them. Their lips met in a frenzy as they stumbled into the space between two great villas. His hands were hot as they worked the fastenings of her dress, drawing her breath in a hiss as they made contact with her skin._

_His lips marked the skin of her neck as he sucked hungrily. Rachel's head fell back against the stones and her fingers tangled in his hair. "Noah," she cried, "oh Noah."_

_Noah's green-gold eyes were dark as he met her gaze. The corner of his mouth turned up into a rakish smile as he kissed Rachel gently. "For a moment there, I thought that old hag was not going to let you go," he said._

_A laugh bubbled from Rachel's lips as she untied the leather string holding back his dark hair. "Honestly Noah, not even Madam Sylvestri can resist your charms."_

_He smiled and kissed her until the breath was gone from her body. His hands blazed a trail across the bare skin he could reach and Rachel's knees turned to water. Luckily, the strength of Noah's arms held her in place._

"_Oh my love," he said, "I've missed you."_

"_Have you?" she asked wryly between kisses._

"_Yes, I have in fact," he said, nuzzling her neck. "I've missed your scent. I've missed your smile. I've missed the way my name falls from your lips and I've especially missed the noise you make when I kiss you here."_

_Rachel gasped as his teeth raked across the sensitive spot in the hollow of her throat._

"_Noah, dear one, perhaps we should go some place more private..."_

_Noah pulled his lips from her neck and kissed her softly on the tip of her nose. "I think that will have to wait until later, bella. It's Carnival! And I've got something almost as beautiful as you for you to wear."_

_Rachel smiled indulgently as she fixed the fastenings on her dress, setting her gown to rights. "Well," she said placing her hands on her hips, "let me see it."_

_Barking with laughter, Noah shook his head. "Not until you tell me what I long to hear."_

_She got up on her tips toes, brushing her lips across his earlobe. "I belong to you," she whispered. Her heart would belong to him always, though her body belonged to Madam Sylvestri to sell as she saw fit._

_Noah caught her in a kiss and then withdrew a beautifully rendered golden mask from behind his back. It glimmered in the torchlight from the street as he held it out to her. She examined it in wonderment. "Noah, I do not think I can accept this. It must have cost you a fortune."_

"_It is a good thing I plan to make one at cards tonight, is it not?"_

_Rachel slapped him lightly on the shoulder. "What have I said to you about gambling?"_

"_I know my luck has been poor lately, but have faith my love. With you by my side, how can I lose?"_

_Rachel sighed. "Tie this on and I will see what help I can provide."_

_***_

_Before the evenings fireworks were set off, Noah had lost most of the money that had been left after he'd purchased Rachel for the evening. When his luck soured with cards, he decided to turn to dice, but only had marginally more success._

_Carefully, so that he would not notice, Rachel set aside enough coin to pay the gondola man to return them to her room at Madam Sylvestri's. Rachel had become fatigued in the flurry of the night's activities and she desired that the night end soon, so she could take Noah into her bed and love him until dawn broke._

"_Noah," she said, nibbling his earlobe gently, "I think we should retire to that more private place we spoke of earlier."_

_He groaned and kissed her quickly. "One more hand, Rachel?"_

_Rachel held in her sigh. "Only one."_

_Noah smiled brightly, holding out his palm to her. "A kiss for luck, bella?"_

_Rachel pressed a slow, teasing kiss to Noah's palm, causing the other players to make obscene noises that were silenced with Noah's answering glare._

"_There," she said, licking her lips, "I think your luck is about to change."_

_He kissed her deeply, before resting his forehead against her own. "Secure us a boat?" he asked._

"_Of course," she said, sweeping away._

_The crowd closed in around her and a man bumped into her shoulder. She turned at his murmured apology and couldn't help but take note of the richness of his outfit or the strange black hood covering his head. There was something about him that just wasn't quite right, but Rachel couldn't quite figure out what. Carnival had a way of bringing strangest people out into the light._

_Shaking her head, she made her way towards the canal._

_She made it halfway there when the screams began. In an instant, Rachel was running in the direction of the screams, fighting against the crowd and praying that the screams were not coming from where she had last seen Noah._

_Unfortunately, God wasn't listening._

_Rachel found Noah in a pool of blood, some was his and some belonged to the man next to him whose throat was slashed open like a macabre smile. There was a hole through the front of Noah's shirt and the stain was rapidly spreading. Rachel's first instinct, when she fell by his side, was to close her hands over the wound to try to keep the blood inside. Her cheeks were wet with tears as he touched her face._

_Rachel kissed him, tasting her own tears. "Who did this to you?"_

_Noah swallowed thickly. "Black...hood..." he said, "fine clothes and a black...hood."_

"_How?"_

"_He wanted that man," Noah said, "I could not let it happen."_

"_Oh Noah...brave, sweet Noah. I love you, I love you."_

_His fingers tangled in her hair as he pulled her in for a last kiss. "I am yours," he whispered, "forever."_

"_Please, Noah, please stay," she wept._

_He took a wet shuddering breath and for a moment, Rachel could swear this had happened before. "My...apologies...my love," he wheezed_

_Noah's beautiful eyes dimmed and Rachel heard a woman screaming, like a wounded animal. It took her a moment to realize that sound was coming from her own mouth. Shaking, she kissed Noah's forehead and pushed his eyes closed. She rose, pulling up her skirts and walking in a daze toward the canal._

_The water of the canal was dark as she stared into it. Her heart ached for her lost love, and it ached harder still knowing that had she paid attention her intuition and done something when the hooded man had bumped into her she might have saved Noah's life. Rachel made brief eye contact with the gondola men as she made up her mind._

_Smiling brokenly, she untied the half mask from her face and set it down on the ground. She removed her shoes and placed them next to the mask. Rachel waved to the man in the nearest gondola and stepped off the edge._

_The dark water of the canal was like ice on her skin. Rachel heard the muted splashes of others coming to her rescue, but she swam down towards the bottom so that they could not reach. Her dress was unbearably heavy and provided great help for a quick descent._

_She opened her mouth and took a deep breath and..._

_***_

Rachel woke up gasping for air, sweaty and shaking. There were tears drying on her cheeks as she jumped out of bed and ran across the hall to the bathroom. She threw the lid of the toilet up and emptied the contents of her stomach into it violently.

Fresh tears slid down her cheeks as Rachel wiped her mouth and rested her head against the cool porcelain of the toilet bowl. She could not shake Noah's dead face from her mind. Of the four lifetimes she had seen, Rachel had watched him die in three of them. Her heart was raw with the pain of it.

How much more of this was she supposed to take?


	13. Feeling Lucky

**A/N: I'm sorry. I had to take a break for a while. Real life got in the way as it tends to do. I hope that you guys are still there. I'm going to try to update more regularly from now on. New vision coming up in the next chapter, hope you'll like this one in the meanwhile. Cheers!**

***

Rachel sat in her desk chair stiffly as Noah flopped down on her bed. She'd invited him over so that they could work out what song they would perform as their duet, but she was regretting it. For some reason, Noah had chosen to wear a loose black button-down with his customary jeans and sneakers today and it reminded Rachel sickeningly of the silk shirt he'd been wearing in her last vision. Every time she looked at him her throat closed. In his truck, she'd been saved from having to look by being able to look out the window, but now that he was in her room, sprawled across her bed, she found it difficult to keep her eyes averted.

"You know, midget," he said blissfully, "even thou this place is way too colourful, you have the most comfortable bed, like, ever."

Rachel's throat grew tight as Noah stretched his arms over his head, causing his shirt to ride up and reveal his abs. Blood rushed to her ears and her heart felt like it was being crushed, but Rachel couldn't look away. He was always so perfect, physically speaking. In every lifetime she had seen, there was not one where Noah had not been extraordinary to look at.

He cleared his throat and she looked up to find him smirking. "I'm a totally hot lookin' Jew right?" he asked.

Rachel blinked and wondered if this is what a deer in the headlights felt like. "Your physical perfection has never really been up for debate, Noah," she replied.

If it was possible, Noah's smirk widened and he pulled himself up to a standing position. "I think that's the most awesome thing you've ever said to me."

She gulped as he leaned over her. His smell invaded her nostrils and the pain in her chest dissipated slightly. Rachel could feel Noah's breath on her ear as he said "You wanna make out?"

Her heart nearly stopped when she felt his stubble brush against her neck. It hurt so much to be close to him, knowing what she knew, but all Rachel wanted for a brief electric moment was to have Noah's lips on her skin again. She curled her fingers in the fabric of her skirt and willed them to be still. Noah's cheek brushed her neck again.

A strangled little noise escaped from Rachel's throat and Noah pulled away, brushing his hand over his mohawk. "Sorry. Um, that was pretty douchtastic. I mean, you're a smoking hot Jew too, but we're like friends and whatever. I shouldn't mess with you when you're the only person who, like, talks to me. That was...uh, out of line. We cool?"

Rachel put all of her considerable will into not pouting. Drawing upon her years of acting training she fixed a bright smile on her face. "Of course we are. Now, I have carefully compiled a list of songs that would fit our range, paying close attention to what might be achievable for you on your guitar."

Noah stuck his hands in his pockets, looking a bit sheepish. "I, uh, have a list too. I mean, I wasn't crazy on the details, but I think I picked some cool songs that I thought we could own."

Rachel handed him a copy of her list, printed neatly on pink paper. He grimaced, presumably at the colour, and took it from her. In return, he handed her a crumpled wad of notebook paper. Rachel opened it and smoothed it out, studying his choices.

Noah snorted. "'Islands in the Stream', really?"

Rachel frowned. "It's very well written and I think it would be very powerful if we stripped it down and had only your guitar for accompaniment."

"I don't do Kenny Rogers, babe."

"Fine. I'm going to have to veto 'Paradise by the Dashboard Light' then."

"What? Meatloaf is totally classic."

"Don't misunderstand me, Noah. I like Meatloaf. 'I Would Do Anything For Love' is one of my favourite ballads of all time. I just don't think that Mr. Shue or Principle Figgins would approve of the subject matter given their rather...outspoken reaction...to the Glee club's tribute to Salt'N'Peppa."

"Wow, you really like Meatloaf?"

"Yes. He has a tremendous amount of vocal talent and his songs are, for the most part, well written and constructed. Don't sound so surprised. I'm going to be a Broadway sensation. The ability to sing a variety of styles of music is a requirement."

"I just never pictured you as a lover of the 'Loaf, that's all."

"I am also going to have to reject 'Stan.'"

"Oh come on! Eminem is classic."

"Classically vulgar you mean."

"Well I'm not singing Sonny and Cher."

"'I Got You Babe' is one of the most famous duets from the last century!"

"It's lame."

Rachel huffed. "We're not going to be able to come to a compromise are we?"

Noah shrugged. "No, probably not."

She thought for a moment, playing with the ends of her hair. Rachel rolled a few ideas over in her mind. They could try to settle this with a game of Rock-Paper-Scissors, with the winner choosing the song, but she had a feeling that Noah would win that. He was also likely to win a coin toss. Then it came to her.

"I have an equitable solution," she said, smiling brightly.

"A what?" he asked, confused.

"A fair way to figure out which song we'll sing. Aside from the ones that we've already declined off each other's lists, we can write each song title on a piece of paper. Then we put the slips into a hat or something, like Mr. Shue did for ballad partners, and pick one out."

He shrugged again and at down on her bed. "Yeah, that'll work. Who gets to choose?"

"You can if you'd like," she said politely while she cut a piece of paper into eight equal pieces and started writing the song titles on them.

He snorted, watching her. "I have like, the worst luck ever. If I pick we'll end up singing 'Something Stupid.'"

Rachel chuckled. "How clever of you."

"I try; just don't tell anyone," he said with a wink.

She smiled again, placing the papers into one of the spare grocery bags she kept in her desk for garbage. Rachel shook it lightly. "Let me see your hand," she said.

He held it out, looking at her oddly. Leaning close to it, she blew across his palm lightly. As she moved to sit up, her lower lip brushed his palm. A blush raced across Rachel's cheeks as she forced a smile to her face. "There now; I think your luck is about to change."

All the blood drained out of Noah's face and for a moment he looked pinched and green. His eyes went slightly glassy before he shook his head and rubbed a palm across the back of his neck.

"Noah?" Rachel asked, trying to stave off panic, "what's the matter?"

"Tacos from lunch are throwing a kegger in my stomach," he said quietly. "Bathroom's across the hall right?"

Rachel nodded.

"Kay, I'll be right back."

Rachel stood and did a few exercises to warm up her muscles and stretch her back. She even had time to run through a few scales before Noah came back, clammy but smiling weakly.

"Piece of advice," Noah said, "avoid cafeteria tacos."

"I don't eat food from the cafeteria," Rachel said with a shrug.

"You brown bag it?"

"Cafeteria food is full of unhealthy fats, sugars and starches. I pack myself a nutritionally balanced lunch every day, in order to maintain optimum health and fitness."

"You are totally crazy. We gonna do this or not?"

Rachel held the bag out to him after shaking it slightly. "Just reach in, pick a slip and we'll get started."

When Noah held his hand out to pick their song, Rachel noticed that it was trembling ever so slightly. She hoped he wasn't coming down with something. She would feel terrible if he was sick or hurt, and it would completely jeopardize their chances of getting their duet into the line-up for Regionals.

Noah stuck his hand in the bag and rooted around for a minute before pulling out a slip. "Oh yeah," he said, "this is going to be badass, I can feel it."

Rachel had to laugh as the cocky look fell from his face upon reading the slip. He groaned and held it out to her. Rachel read the name written on the slip and smiled brightly. "I think this is terribly lucky, Noah."

"You would," he said shaking his head at his perceived misfortune.

She simply smiled wider still. "I already have the arrangement worked out."

Rachel grabbed Noah by the hand and dragged her reluctant partner downstairs to the piano.


	14. Marseilles

**A/N: Wow, I feel like I did nothing but I'm totally exhausted. If you were wondering, this particular chapter isn't s mini-crossover per say, but it *was* inspired by a book/film. Kudos to you if you can spot it! I hope you like this. There are 8 chapters left, so we're over half way through! Yay!**

***

_As Rachel watched the wind blow across the sea, she wondered if it were possible for the wind to carry the love in her heart to wherever it had taken her husband. Noah had been away at sea so long that she feared he would not arrive home before their child arrived._

_As the last light of day faded across harbour of Marseilles, Rachel pulled her shawl tight around her body and headed for home. Her fingers ached from the long day spent sewing under the watchful eye of Monsieur H'Ummel at his tailoring shop, while her feet and back ached due to the constant movement of the child she carried._

_The small home she shared with her husband was cold when Rachel entered. Rachel made quick work of lighting a fire for warmth and a single oil lamp for light. She fixed herself a meal of bread and cheese before sitting down to eat it._

_The meal was not as filling as Rachel would have liked, but she had been too tired to prepare anything else. It would have been nice to come home to some hot soup or a nice Burgundy stew, but there was no one in the house to keep the fire stoked so the food would cook all day long as it should. It was nights like this one when she missed her husband most._

_For months, Rachel had been dependent upon the money that had come with Noah's letters, but she had not heard from him in so many months that she had been forced to take on work as a seamstress to provide for herself. Noah's lack of contact made her fear for the worst. Many a sailor's wife had lost her man at sea; it was not unfathomable that Noah had met his end._

_Rachel did not like to dwell on thoughts like these, however, as she felt in her heart that if Noah had passed she would know. She had spent her life loving him, her very soul was tied to his in the bonds of matrimony and something even deeper that Rachel could not name, so how could she not know if he were gone?_

_As Rachel rubbed her stomach to soothe her restless child, she bowed her head and began to pray. She spoke carefully and quietly, in hopes that God would finally hear her and bring Noah home. She thanked God for her job, as much as she hated it, and for the child she carried. Rachel prayed that her child would be healthy and happy, and that Noah might return in time for the birth._

_Then, as was her custom, she thanked God for bringing Noah into her life. As she prayed, she remembered the first time she saw him._

_Rachel had been just a little girl, no more than six, clinging to her father's hand as their carriage rolled down the streets of Marseille, when she first saw Noah. She was terrified by all the new sights and sounds in this city blanketed by the smell of the sea. Rachel wanted nothing more than for the carriage to turn around and take them back to their cramped apartment in Paris._

_When the carriage came to a stop, Rachel's father escorted her out. They stood outside the home she and Noah would eventually share and Rachel looked upon it in wonder. It was not a grand manor or a palace by any means, but it was bigger than where they had lived before. Standing by the door, there was a tall, dark haired man with a beard who smiled at her father. Next to him, green eyes wide, was Noah._

_As the adults conversed, Noah gave Rachel a small smile, which she returned. From that moment, Rachel was in love._

_Over the years, Rachel and Noah became close. Noah's father captained one of the ships owned by the shipping company that Rachel's father acted as an accountant and financier for, so the two often saw each other while their parents discussed business._

_When Rachel became a young woman of marriageable age, she turned down countless suitors waiting for Noah to make a play for her hand. Her father grew frustrated with her but had not the heart to deny her the one thing she wanted most. He helped Noah rise to the position of Third Mate on one of the shipping company's vessels and named the boy as his heir, finally allowing Noah to have the means to request Rachel's hand._

_Noah's father was long since dead at this point; killed when his ship was hit by a storm off the coast of Borneo, but Rachel's father did not pass until she and Noah had been married for almost two years. Debts took most of the legacy Rachel's father had created, but she and Noah had managed to keep her childhood home after he had been promoted from Third Mate to First._

_The day before he'd set out to see on the lengthy voyage that now kept him away was one of the happiest days of Rachel's life. Noah had taken her for a walk to the cliffs, holding her hand and telling her of all the wonders he'd been told that he would see when he arrived in Siam._

_They had sat together in the grass, content in each other's arms, and Rachel had turned to him._

"_Noah," she had said, "I've a piece of happy news to bear you before you depart."_

_Noah had smiled; his golden green eyes sparkling in the fading sunlight. "Are you going to tell me that I'm the most handsome, charming, brave, and dashing husband you could have asked for? If you are, I'm sorry to disappoint you my love, but I already know."_

_Rachel had laughed heartily before turning to him with a wide smile on her own face. "No, that is not exactly what I have to tell you. I feel I must tell you that you are the most handsome, charming, brave, and dashing father that any child could ever wish."_

_She had placed her hands over her stomach and given Noah a knowing look. His eyes had gone as large as dinner plates, sending Rachel into a fit of laughter. Then Noah gave a loud, whooping cry and pulled her off the ground into his embrace. He had twirled her in circles, covering her face with kisses._

"_How can I leave now?" he'd asked in wonder._

_Rachel had kissed him gently. "Because you must. When you return, perhaps you can ask the company to find you a different post. You have experience with negotiation and trading, they might have a place for you, and for us, somewhere overseas."_

"_Leave Marseilles?"_

"_We will do what we must, husband."_

_Noah had nodded and fallen more or less silent for the rest of the evening, content to take Rachel home. They had spent the night making love until they could no longer stay awake. Before sunrise, Noah had roused himself to go._

_The image of Noah standing over her, smiling slightly, was clear in her mind. She could recall his gentle kiss on her cheek and the words he spoke. "I am yours, wife, forever. Though I have not left, I am anxious to return," he'd said._

_Rachel's response was one that had seemed to make perfect sense in answer. "I belong to you, my love. I will wait for you always."_

_That had been the last time she had seen her husband._

_The memories faded as Rachel reached the end of her prayer, only to be interrupted by a loud knock on the door. As she was expecting no callers, the knock startled Rachel. She patted her hair back and adjusted her shawl before going to open the door._

_The visitor was Captain Guilliame, of one of the shipping company's other vessels. Rachel had enough presence of mind to invite him in and offer him water before she rounded on him and demanded to know why he was choosing to visit at such an hour. Rachel's heart filled with fear as she waited for the captain to answer._

_Captain Guilliame pushed his hair back from his face and sighed, as Rachel watched nervously. He spoke after a few contemplative moments. "We have just received word that the Mercedes was attacked by smugglers in the South China Sea," he said._

_The tin cup Rachel had been drinking from slipped from her hands and fell to the ground with a thud. She knew she should pick it up, but could not bring herself to do it._

"_The Mercedes was carrying full cargo back from Siam. From what we have been told, it was attacked by a ship called the Susannah somewhere between Singapore and the Dutch East Indies. The crew was besieged and the cargo was stolen."_

"_How did you come to know of this?" Rachel asked in a shaky voice._

"_From a cabin boy who was taken prisoner by the crew of the Susannah," Captain Guilliame replied. "The smugglers traded him to another ship in return for a few kegs of fresh water. Once the captain of the ship heard the boy's story, he returned him to us, for a hefty payment of course."_

"_Please, sir," Rachel said, "if there is more I must know it."_

_Captain Guilliame's eyes were full of pity when they fell upon her. "I am sorry to have to tell you that the boy was the only survivor of the ordeal."_

_Tears rolled down her cheeks and Rachel's voice wavered when she spoke again. "Did my husband die in pain, or did these smugglers show any mercy?" she asked._

"_Noah died at the hands of the Susannah's captain, a smuggler known as Flynn. From what the boy says, Noah defended his fellows to the very last," he replied_

_Rachel rose and smoothed her dress over her swollen midsection. "I appreciate the knowledge you have given me, sir. It is better to know than to wonder. I am afraid I am exhausted and must bid you adieu."_

"_Yes," the captain said, "of course. A representative will come tomorrow afternoon to discuss your husband's wages and debts with you."_

"_If you could, please ask him to come in the evening. I am expected at the shop tomorrow until just before sundown."_

_Captain Guilliame nodded, tipping his hat to her as he walked out the door._

_Rachel had scarcely closed it behind him when she sank to the floor and began to sob._

***

The noise of fingers snapping pulled Rachel back to the present. Noah was sitting in the driver's seat of his truck, staring at her expectantly.

"I'm sorry, Noah," she said, "What were you saying?"

Noah's face pinched into a frown. "It's not important. You have something on your face," he said, gesturing to her upper lip.

Rachel touched the spot he was pointing to and her finger came away wet with a single drop of blood. Discreetly, she wiped it off on a tissue from her pocket.

"Was that blood?" he asked.

"There must be a low pressure front moving in," she said with a careful shrug.

Noah merely frowned again and started the car, pulling out of Rachel's driveway and heading towards the nearest convenience store for dip and a post practice slushee.


	15. Duet Showcase

**A/N: To those of you who caught hints of The Count of Monte Cristo, congrats! Next chapter is the start of the last vision, so hold on to your boots loyal readers! We're in the home stretch. If anyone is interested in my non-Glee fics, I have a new one posted in the Smallville section called 'Two Roads Diverged' and it would make me so happy if some of you would take a look. I'm also planning on putting up a Smallville one-shot later this week. So, that's news, now on with the story!**

***

The time raced by, two weeks flashing past seemingly in less time than it took for Rachel to live a whole other lifetime in a vision. Thankfully, after the two for one special she'd experienced when she and Noah had started rehearsing together, Rachel's life had been completely vision free. She had no desire to ponder why the visions had suddenly dried up because she was too busy being thankful for the time she got to spend with Noah.

Over the weeks that they practiced for the Duet Showcase, as Mr. Shue had advertised it, Rachel had learned so much about Noah. For instance, she'd learned that even though his sense of humour was undoubtedly immature, he never failed to make her laugh. Rachel also learned that despite Noah's constant claims of wanting to show off his sexiness, he wore large t-shirts rather than medium because he liked the room. Rachel learned that, after her rant about how awful cafeteria food was, he took time before he went to bed to pack his sister a mostly nutritious lunch for school. He also sang Bekah to sleep every night with an acoustic version of 'Sweet Child of Mine', as Rachel learned by accident.

Much to Rachel's pleasant surprise, Noah hadn't been kidding about his cleverness. Whenever they practiced their number at his house, the first thing he would do was his homework. At first, Rachel had been stunned, but Noah had explained that he and the teachers had an agreement about the whole thing. As long as he did his homework, projects and passed his tests, most of the teachers were more than happy to look the other way when he skipped classes to make his rep. It was apparently much easier for Noah to learn what he needed from the text books than it was for him to learn in a classroom surrounded by other people. In return, Rachel had only smiled and taken out her algebra homework, only to be shocked when Noah assisted her with a few of the problems that gave her trouble.

Admittedly, Noah wasn't completely different outside of school than he was in it; he was still brash, loud and frequently vulgar, but spending time with him outside of school had allowed Rachel to see the qualities she'd always known were there. He was helpful around the house, cooking and cleaning to make his mother's life easier. He was incredibly sweet to his little sister; he even enlisted Rachel's help in baking when it was Bekah's turn to supply birthday cupcakes for her class. Thankfully, he left the marijuana out of that batch. Noah was thoughtful enough to start keeping lemons in his fridge so that Rachel could make herself hot water with honey and lemon after practice to soothe her throat.

Noah's most defining characteristic, however, was one that Rachel had been privy to time and again. With the exception of what happened between him and Quinn, Noah was absolutely loyal. Once he considered you part of the small group of people that was his, which Rachel fell into after his concussed confession that she was 'his girl', heaven help the person that slighted you. Even if that person happened to be bigger and better supported, as Karofsky had been, Noah would defend you with everything he had. Rachel felt beyond privileged to be part of that group.

Noah's loyalty was part of the reason they had worked so hard on their song in the past weeks. Rachel was a hard worker when it came to performing, but Noah had been the one to insist on nearly daily practices. Rachel thought it might have had something to do with the fact that she'd stood up to Finn on his behalf and Noah didn't want to disappoint her, but she didn't think it would go over well if she asked. So they had worked and practice and fine tuned until their number was something that met even Rachel's impossible standards.

All of that was what brought Rachel to where she was, standing in the wings of the McKinley auditorium, nervously smoothing down her red satin dress while she watched their competition perform. Noah was standing quietly at her side, leaning against the wall.

Artie and Brittany started the show off with a lot of energy, literally bringing the crowd to its feet with their version of 'Kids' by Robbie Williams and Kylie Minogue. Rachel was certain that she'd never seen Artie so confident on stage before and, even though Rachel viewed Artie as their toughest competition, she was happy for him.

Mike and Mercedes followed with a surprising cover of Lady Antebellum's 'Need You Now', which blew Rachel away. It was a bold choice, but Mike and Mercedes committed to it and made it amazing. Mercedes had apparently worked very hard at toning her voice down not to overpower Mike and it came off beautifully.

Naturally, Santana and Kurt had the most fabulous costumes. They chose 'Telephone' by Beyoncé and Lady Gaga for their song. Rachel was certain McKinley would be talking for weeks about Kurt Hummel wearing a telephone on his head. Even Noah had joined in the thunderous applause when Santana and Kurt were finished; he even went so far as to stick two fingers in his mouth and whistle.

Matt and Tina nearly brought the house down with their version of 'Stop Draggin' My Heart Around.' Tina channelled Stevie Nicks right down to the flowy dress she wore, and Matt donned a Tom Petty-esque hat for the occasion. The raspy, whiskey quality of Tina's voice made their song a real show-stopper.

It was the couple on stage now that had Rachel's full attention. Quinn was heartbreakingly beautiful in her long, white empire waist dress. Finn looked dashing in the combination of jeans, white dress shirt and vest that Kurt had helped him choose. As she watched them sing, Rachel had to stop her eyes from tearing up. They had chosen 'Somewhere Out There' by Linda Rondstadt and James Ingram for their piece. Over the course of the song, it became very apparent to Rachel that Quinn was still very much in love with Finn, and that Finn had been doing his damndest to deny that he still felt anything in return. As the last strains of the song faded away, Rachel felt a tug on her hand.

Startled, she started up at Noah, unaware that he'd entwined their fingers. "You okay?" he asked over the applause.

Rachel nodded quickly. "It's just so sad," she said, wondering if she was really talking about Finn and Quinn, "that they love each other so much, even when they're apart."

"Yeah, it sucks," he agreed, with a far off look in his eye.

Noah let go of her hand as Finn passed them and Rachel felt the nervous butterflies in her stomach wake up. She shook her arms out and smoothed her dress one last time. Nervously she straightened Noah's black dress shirt and picked away a bit of invisible lint from his shoulder.

Noah took her hand between his and looked in her eyes. For a split second under his green-gold gaze, Rachel felt like the air went out of the room. "You're not nervous, are you?" he asked quietly.

Rachel shook her head.

"Good, because I was worried for a second there. How could you possibly be nervous? You've got the hottest, most charming, bad-ass, awesome partner ever. I'm a stud, so this is no big," Noah said with a grin.

Rachel's chest clenched tightly as Mr. Shue announced them. Noah's face changed from confident to worried and he squeezed her hand tightly. "Rachel, we got this," he assured.

She nodded quickly, chasing the remnants of her last vision from her mind. "Of course we do Noah," she said with a sense of ease she didn't feel.

"Are you ready?" he asked, pulling her to the curtain.

"Always," she replied.

As Rachel stepped out under the stage lights, she missed the sad look that flashed across Noah's face.


	16. WWII, part 1

**A/N: Holy cow! Twice in one week. Look at me go. For those of you hoping to find out what song Rachel and Noah sang in the showcase, I'm going to have to disappoint you. It's a secret. There are clues, though, well, clue really. It's very, very subtle. I'll drop some breadcrumbs on the way, but it'll be spoilery if you figure it out. Enjoy!**

***

After the Duet Showcase, Rachel was completely wired. The results of the audience vote wouldn't tallied for a day or two, so she had no idea where she and Noah stood in terms of winning, but she thought they did amazing. Rachel was bouncing off the walls, filled with adrenaline from being on stage and practically bursting with pride over Noah's fantastic, touching performance.

Noah was equally wired, though he had a better handle on it than Rachel. Except for the whoop of joy and unexpected, but not unwelcome, bear hug he'd given Rachel after they exited the stage when their song was through, Noah was outwardly calm.

As they walked back to his truck, though, Rachel could tell that he was excited. Noah kept humming under his breath and he had a true, uninhibited smile on his face, which Rachel found to be devastatingly handsome. It lit up his whole face. Rachel couldn't remember ever seeing him so happy.

He was still smiling as he chivalrously opened her door for her. As Rachel attempted to hoist herself into the cab, Noah gripped her waist gently and lifted her in. She blushed, tucking her hair behind her ear, and turned to him. "Thanks," she said.

Noah shrugged but didn't move away from the open door. Instead he leaned up against it. "I don't know about you, but I'm fuckin' starving. Would your dads flip if I dragged you out for a burger?"

Rachel blinked, so stunned that she forgot to correct Noah's language. "A burger?" she asked. They'd hung out a lot and Noah drove her to and from school. It was no secret they were friends, but Rachel and Noah tended not to go out in public together aside from the few basketball games Rachel had attended. Rachel was equal parts elated and shocked that Noah wanted to go somewhere with her where people could see them.

"A burger. Grilled meat that comes inside of a bun? Usually topped with all sorts of awesome shit like onions and bacon. Often accompanied by fries and sometimes even a milkshake. A burger," he said, smiling widely.

Rachel rolled her eyes and nudged Noah's leg with her foot. "I'm aware of what a burger is, Noah, I'm just surprised you want to get one with me."

Noah frowned for a moment and then covered it up with a smile. "We rocked that shit, Rach. We are totally entitled to celebrate."

Rachel's heart fluttered in her chest when Noah referred to her as 'Rach.' The nicknames he had for her, such as 'midget' and 'crazy,' had been said with fondness as of late, as opposed to spite like before, but this nickname sounded like there was real affection behind it. This fact was enough to make her heart soar.

"You said something about a milkshake?" Rachel said hesitantly.

Noah raised a brow. "I thought dairy clogged up your vocal cords or some shit," he replied.

Rachel's eyes went misty and she licked her lips. "I have been dreaming of a chocolate shake with whipped cream and sprinkles for almost three years..."

Noah swallowed heavily and bit his bottom lip in a way Rachel felt was unfairly enticing. "Tell you what, Rach, it'll be my treat. I'll even get them to throw in a cherry."

Rachel pouted slightly. "You're an evil, wonderful man. Have I ever told you that? Tempting me with evil dairy goodness, shame on you. You really shouldn't encourage behaviour that could affect my performance."

Noah took her hand and gallantly kissed the back, winking at her as he did. "You gotta live while you can, 'cause you never know when it'll end. One milkshake won't be the end of your career. You sure your dads won't mind?" he asked, releasing Rachel's hand.

Dazed, she shook her head. "They aren't even home this weekend," she said as Noah closed her door.

***

Rachel had a great time at the diner with Noah. Evil man that he was, he'd not only bought her a chocolate milkshake, but he'd also convinced her that she needed to have the 'full Sam's experience' which included a bacon-burger and fries to go along with her shake. He was amazed when Rachel managed to consume the giant burger, fries and the part of the milkshake that had come in the glass. Rachel had drawn the line at finishing rest of the shake, which had come in a silver mixing cup, and Noah was more than happy to finish it for her.

He'd regaled her with stories of visiting Sam's Diner with the members of various sports teams and Rachel had laughed so hard that she nearly had milkshake coming out her nose. In turn, Rachel had shown him that it really was possible to tie a cherry stem into a knot without using your hands. When Noah had asked, in awe, how she learned to do it, Rachel had him laughing so hard he was in tears after telling him the story of the girl at theatre camp that was more than happy to share her extensive knowledge of such things with the other campers.

By the time they were finished eating, all of Rachel's energy had been gone. She could barely keep her eyes open on the way home. Noah offered to help her into the house, but Rachel had waved him off, impetuously kissing him on the cheek and thanking him for the lovely time.

He didn't drive away until Rachel waved at him from the foyer window, having locked the door behind her.

Rachel struggled out of her heels, yawning and wiggling her toes in the hall carpet. She dragged herself up the stairs, only having enough energy to drape her red satin dress over her desk chair before struggling into her pyjamas and throwing herself into bed.

***

_The crowd of went wild with applause as Rachel and the girls finished their last song with a salute. High off the performance, Rachel threw a wink to the boys in uniform and blew kisses to the crowd. She and the girls acknowledged the band and took a bow. Smiling, Rachel followed the others off stage and into the makeshift dressing room they had set up._

_She retouched her crimson lipstick and used one of the lighted mirrors to check her curls and smooth her dress before fixing another smile on her face and going out to work the crowd. The servicemen gave her kisses and congratulations as she made her way to the bar, while their dates just glared at her._

_Rachel took a seat and ordered a gin and tonic before staring out into the crowd. She spotted Harleen's blond hair whirling in the air as one of the men twirled her on the floor. Rachel could only laugh. Their set had just ended and Harleen was already on the floor, flashing her big green eyes and setting the boys' hearts on fire. She was a shameless flirt, that one. Hopefully one day all her flirting would land Harleen a good man._

_Rachel sipped her drink and felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned and came face to face with the most gorgeous man she'd ever seen. He was tall and filled out in all the right places, with a head full of short dark hair and a knockout pair of hazel eyes. Top that off with o crisply pressed uniform with a tie that was deliciously askew and you had a nearly perfect man._

_Unfortunately, he had to open his mouth and ruin everything._

"_S'cuse me doll," he said in a thick Boston accent, "I was hoping you could help me out."_

_Rachel curved her lips into what she knew was a fetching smile. "Imagine a hard-boiled guy like you needin' help from lil' ol' me," she said, knowing he'd find her Brooklyn accent equally as thick._

_Her companion sent her a devastating smile and a wink. "A guy can always use the help of a pretty girl."_

_Feeling generous, Rachel tilted her head and gestured for him to continue._

"_My buddy there," he said gesturing behind him to where a tall, shy looking young man in uniform was standing with a few other soldiers, "thinks your little blond friend is the Cat's Meow."_

"_You'll have to narrow it down for me, handsome, we've got a couple of blonds in the show," Rachel purred._

_The young man moved so close to Rachel' side, she could feel the heat radiating from him. It was terribly distracting. He put one arm around her back and pointed to the floor where Harleen was being flipped by her dance partner. "That's the one he's got his eye on."_

"_Her name's Harleen," Rachel said quietly, "and she's a real tough customer. Your friend had better be somethin' special if he wants to get to know her. She doesn't go for flat tires or pushovers."_

"_See," the young man said, his breath tickling Rachel's ear, "that's what I tried to tell him, but he's too busy being dazzled by those big eyes of hers and that breathy, sweet little voice she's got."_

_Rachel turned to her companion and stared into his face. "Sounds like Harleen's considerable charms aren't workin' on you."_

_He smiled again and, though she hid it well, it took Rachel's breath away. "A gal with a great pair of gams and a voice that could bring the house down is more my style. So, do ya think you can facilitate an introduction?" he asked._

_Rachel blinked rapidly, before answering. "Depends what's in it for me. Harleen's not as sweet as she looks and she's more stubborn than an alter bok…er…an old goat."_

"_Yeah, I understand. Bet she can be a real machshaifeh some of the time."_

_Rachel laughed loudly. "A witch? I wouldn't go that far, but she can be a bit spoiled. I'm surprised you understood me."_

_The young man winked again. "I'm full of surprises, doll."_

"_Seriously though," Rachel said, "what do I get in return for playing yenta in this love connection?"_

_Her companion grabbed her hand and dropped a kiss on top. "How about a couple of spins around the floor with yours truly?" he offered._

_Rachel pursed her lips in thought for a moment. "I'd have to know your name to put you on my dance card, handsome."_

"_You sure your friend is the tough customer?" he asked lightly._

_Rachel just threw her head back and laughed joyfully._

_The young man placed another kiss on the back of her hand. "I'm Noah," he said._

"_Rachel," she returned._

"_So what do you say? Help out a poor, lovestruck fool?"_

"_I'll see what I can do," she answered._

***

Rachel groaned and valiantly batted at her alarm. She managed to turn it off on her third try. Sitting up and pushing her sweaty hair back from her face, she hoped that maybe, just maybe, the visions would end happily.


	17. Yes or No

**A/N: And the hits just keep on coming! My muse is being terribly demanding this week. I apologize for the typos (no Beta) and the suspense/cliffies. Hope this will tide you over until the next chance I get to post (which, fingers crossed, will be near the end of next week). Once again, thank you so very much for all of your amazing reviews. They simply make my day!**

***

As Rachel predicted, she and Noah successfully handed Finn his ass on a proverbial platter. While Noah's own popularity and the sheer intensity of their number at the Duet Showcase balanced out Rachel's much lower social status, they placed second in the audience vote. Artie and Brittany came first and the blond cheerleader was so happy she cried. Rachel would never forget the sight of Brittany flinging herself into Artie's lap, weeping and thanking him profusely. Artie had sort of smiled, offering Brittany a few awkward pats on the back while she wept out her joy, hugging him tightly.

Finn and Quinn came in at a close third. Noah was upset that he and Rachel didn't win, but he seemed more okay with it after Rachel assured him that she wasn't disappointed at all. New Directions got right to work arranging and choreographing 'Kids' for the ensemble.

A few weeks before Regionals, all of the kids were sitting in the practice room waiting for Mr. Shue. Mike had plugged his iPod into the main sound system, so they were all sitting around listening to music. Brittany was trying to teach Mercedes and Tina the most effective uses of hairography and Rachel looked on, amused.

Noah was across the room, talking basketball strategy to Matt, when it happened. Mike's iPod switched to Brian Setzer's 'Jump, Jive and Wail' and Rachel started bobbing her head from side to side. Truth be told, she wasn't exactly a fan of swing, but there was something about this song that filled her with weird, almost nervous, energy.

Brittany smiled widely and pulled Mike up to dance. The two of them had some serious moves, most of which Rachel recognized as West Coast Swing. She clapped her hands and cheered them on.

Noah crossed the floor, skirting around Mike and Brittany, and made his way to Rachel. He came to a stop in front of her and held his hand out. "So what d'you say, Rach," he asked, "care to take a spin around the floor with yours truly?"

Hoping it wasn't shaking, Rachel placed her hand in his. "I was under the impression you weren't exactly skilled on the dance floor, Noah," she said, raising a brow.

Noah pulled her close to him and led her into the middle of the room. "You know me, full of surprises," he replied with a wink.

Rachel's heart lurched against her ribcage. The similarities to the Noah in her last version were downright eerie, but Rachel squashed the sudden urge to faint. Noah waited a beat or two to get the tempo and then launched into the dance.

There was never a moment of hesitation or awkwardness. Noah tossed her out and pulled her in with practiced ease and Rachel never felt the need to try to lead. She trusted him totally and he didn't disappoint her.

As the music picked up, Noah started a complicated sequence of moves. Rachel simply went were her body wanted to go. Her body seemed to know what to do, even though Rachel had never performed these moves before.

She ducked down as Noah kicked a leg over her head and then grabbed his hands and let him pull her under his legs. On the other side, she flipped herself into a sort of hand-spring, ending up with her legs over Noah's shoulders. He took her by the waist and swung her onto her feet.

Energized by the complexity, Rachel let Noah swing her up and over one of his shoulders, landing in a half squat behind him. Noah turned and took her hand, yanking her up onto his shoulders to spin in a circle.

Driven by some need outside of herself, Rachel let Noah swing her out again, nodding to him sharply. She wasn't entirely certain what she was signalling him to do, but she put her faith in him as Noah yanked her up in the air. Rachel rested in a seated position on his shoulder for a split second before half-hopping, half-sliding onto her feet and into a spin.

As the song built to its peak, Rachel spun in front of Noah, then bent down and went under his legs so she was standing behind him. He turned and pulled her up in the air and her knees came to rest on either side of his waist. Noah dipped her back in a half circle, and then swung her around his back. His arm came under her knees as she came around the other side and he ended up holding her under her knees and behind her back. They spun in one full circle before Rachel stretched flat in Noah's arms. With his arm under her knees, he threw her backwards. Rachel's legs went over her head and she drew on her extensive dance training to stay straight. She came down on both feet, smiling like a maniac.

The end of the song was rapidly approaching and Rachel knew that Noah would settle for nothing less than a big finish. He spun her so that she was kiddy-corner to him and pulled on both of her hands, launching Rachel in the air behind his head. She kicked her legs out into a graceful full split as Noah swung her through the air. She came down in an arc across his body and her legs went around his waist. He held her hands and dipped her so low that her hair brushed the floor.

Noah pulled Rachel up and dropped his hands to her waist. He smiled widely and swung her up and away from his body until Rachel was completely vertical. Rachel came down, ending with her legs around Noah's waist again, as the last beat of the song pumped out of the sound system. As the music changed, Noah set Rachel on her feet gently.

The blood pounded in Rachel's ears as she looked up into Noah's eyes. She could feel his heart racing under her hands, which had come to rest on his chest. Noah's eyes were glassy and he had an exhilarated smile on his face. He shook his head a few times and blinked down at her. Rachel was vaguely aware that the rest of the Glee clubbers had burst into wild applause, but for a moment, her world only consisted of Noah.

Noah tucked a slightly sweaty piece of hair behind Rachel's ear. His eyes were a darker shade of hazel than she had ever seen them, almost a forest green. Noah's fingers brushed lightly across Rachel's cheekbone and her eyes slid closed. She waited one heartbeat, and then two. Noah's breath danced across her lips. Her heart pounded and she knew he could feel her hands shaking.

Then the door to the practice room slammed and Rachel's eyes opened involuntarily. Noah released her quickly and Rachel stepped back, dazed and disoriented. Mr. Shue had walked in and was waiting for everyone to take a seat before starting practice. Rachel wished with every fibre of her being that he had been only a few seconds later.

Mr. Shue smiled nervously. "I just got a call from the director of Regionals," he said.

"The board has recently decided to move from a three-song performance system to a five-song performance system. So we've got the Shoop-Shoop mash-up, 'Dance to the Music', and 'Kids'. I was thinking that maybe we could mix it up with a few slower songs to round out the set. Does anyone have any ideas?"

Mr. Shue pointed to Santana, who had her hand up. "What about Marvin Gaye?" she suggested.

Mr. Shue nodded his head. "Yeah, I'm definitely feeling that. What did you have in mind?"

Santana smiled cheekily. "'Let's Get It On.'" she replied with a shrug.

Mr. Shue frowned and shook his head. "That's only slightly less risqué than 'Push It'."

"I've got an idea, Mr. Shue," Mike said, waving his hand.

"Sure, Mike, let's hear it," Mr. Shue answered.

Mike ran a hand through his hair. "Well Coach Sylvester said that all the members of the Choir have to perform right, but they don't all have to sing every number."

"Yeah..."

Mike smiled at Tina, who was obviously confused but smiled back. "I think Tina should sing 'Piece of My Heart' as like, you know, a solo."

Tina's face lost all colour and she shook her head quickly. Not discouraged, Mike smiled at her again. "You're really amazing T," he said, "I heard you sing it in the theatre a while ago. It would be a great number."

Mr. Shue looked at Tina expectantly. "What do you think? Can you handle a solo piece Tina? I agree that it would be a great number, but if you're not comfortable..." he said.

Tina smiled and when she spoke, she didn't stutter once. "I think it would be okay. I mean, I think that I could do it. Maybe Artie can accompany me on guitar?" she suggested.

Rachel frowned at the way Mike's face fell after Tina's request. She made a mental note to talk to him after practice, to try to say something nice to take out the sting of Tina's oblivious rejection.

Mr. Shue clapped his hands to reign the group's attention back in. "That sounds good. Now we just need one more song."

Artie's hand went up and Mr. Shue pointed to him, ignoring Kurt's hand which was waving in the air. "I've got a pretty obvious suggestion Mr. Shue," he said seriously.

"Go ahead, Artie," Mr. Shue said.

Artie wheeled up beside Mr. Shue and faced New Directions. "To tell you the truth, I'm honestly surprised that it wasn't the first suggestion. Building on what Mike said about not every member having to be in every song, I think that Rachel and Puck should do their duet."

Kurt huffed dismissively and Artie fixed him with a steely glare. "I don't know if you were all watching the same show as I was, but I have never seen anything like that. I think we'd definitely win if we closed the show with their song. That's really all I wanted to say," Artie finished, wheeling himself back to his original position.

Mr. Shue rubbed his hands together softly and then nodded. "Artie has a really great point. They may not have won the showcase, but Puck and Rachel gave a phenomenal performance. Any objections to closing the show with their duet?"

Some of the others grumbled a little, but Rachel was pleased to note that there weren't any outright, vehement objections. Of course, it might have had more to do with the formidable scowl on Noah's face as he looked around the class, but Rachel was pleased nonetheless.

"So what do you two say? I know that performing won't be a problem for Rachel, but how about you Puck? Would you be comfortable singing that piece in front of the large crowd at Regionals?"

Rachel smiled and turned to Noah as his hand came to rest over hers. Noah smirked back. "I'm game if you are, babe," he said with a shrug.

Rachel gave Mr. Shue her most gracious smile. "We'd be honoured," she replied.

"Well," Mr. Shue said, "let's get to work."

***

After practiced ended, Rachel and Noah were halfway to his truck when Rachel realized she had left her phone behind in the practice room. Waving off Noah's offer to go back with her, Rachel asked him to warm up his truck and pull up by the door so she could meet him once she'd collected her property.

When Rachel returned to the practice room, she was surprised to find Finn sitting alone at the piano bench. She still felt righteous about their previous confrontation, but she felt a bit sorry for him. Finn looked so dejected, sitting there and glaring at the piano like it was responsible for all the evils in the world.

Rachel slipped her phone in her pocket and started to leave, only to stop short. As she came to a halt next to the piano, Finn looked up at her.

"You know he's a complete scum-bag right?" he asked.

Rachel bristled instantly. "I'm not sure I know who you're talking about," she lied.

Finn rolled his eyes. "You totally know. You know I don't get it. I mean he's an asshole. He goes through girls like a baby changes diapers and he, like, treats them about the same. He's worthless and no good and completely wrong for you, but you hang out with him anyway," he spat.

Rachel crossed her arms and tapped her foot. "Noah is kind and smart. He's talented and caring. He is also the single most loyal and devoted person I've ever met."

Finn's face went red and he stood up, slamming the cover on the piano keys. "Loyal? Seriously, Rachel? That's the most messed up thing ever. He was super loyal when he was fucking my girlfriend. Or did you forget that she's having his kid?"

Rachel's insides went cold at Finn's comment. Quinn was having Noah's baby. It was all wrong. Rachel was supposed to be the one to carry Noah's children. That was just the natural order of things. What right did Finn have to point that out?

More angry than she ever thought possible, Rachel fired back. "Did you ever wonder what you did to deserve that kind of betrayal?" she spat, picturing the way Gwynn's fists pounded into Noah's flesh.

Finn laughed hollowly. "If you thought I deserved it, then why did you tell me the truth? I mean, I thought you told me because you loved me. I was convinced that _you_ loved _me_. I had a girlfriend I loved, I could finally be myself and I thought I was going to be a father. It was way too soon, but I loved Drizzle and I was going to be the best dad I could be. Finding out the truth ruined my life, but I thought, at least I have someone who loves me enough to be honest with me."

Rachel swallowed. "Finn...I...you don't understand...I can't..."

"I know I'm not the smartest guy in school, but how about you try to make me understand?" Finn demanded.

Rachel tightened her arms around herself, trying to give herself some support. "When I told you about Puck and Quinn, I thought I was doing the right thing. Granted I was also trying to get you for myself, and that was wrong, but I thought that honesty would be best. I thought you were the kind of guy I wanted...needed...to be with and I'm sorry I hurt you so badly by trying to make it happen. I can't say that it would have been better not to tell you, because if I hadn't, I wouldn't know what I know now. At least I don't think I would. No matter how much what I know now hurts me; I wouldn't give up that knowledge for anything. I am so so sorry you got hurt; Finn, but things aren't the same now. I don't feel like that about you anymore."

Finn sat down heavily on the piano bench. "It's all about him, isn't it? If you had never told me, you two probably wouldn't be friends or whatever you are. He'd probably still be considering lighting himself on fire to avoid talking to you."

Rachel frowned and sighed a little. "I don't know. I really am sorry Finn. I never meant to ruin your life. I have to go," she said, walking towards the door, "Noah's waiting for me."

Finn's hollow voice made Rachel's fingers still on the doorknob. "Do you love him?" he asked.

Rachel closed her eyes, thinking of everything she'd seen and everything that had happened between her and Noah in this lifetime. She thought about the way her heart raced at his touch and how he could always make her smile. Rachel thought of the time they'd spent working together and sometimes just hanging out doing nothing at all. She even thought of the short period that they'd been 'dating' for. Though her heart was pounded, Rachel's hands were steady on the doorknob as she answered.

"Heaven have mercy on us both," she said, "but yes, I do."


	18. WWII, part 2

**A/N: Holy eff. This one really took a lot out of me. I've been working on it since the last time I posted and, while it nearly killed me, here it is. It might be the longest chapter I've put up to date, but that's okay. We're in the home stretch folks. Please enjoy! Also...Jesse St. James is SCREWING with my OTP.**

***

Rachel's next vision took her totally by surprise. There was no headache beforehand and the sense of disorientation she felt when she had a vision outside of her dreams was nowhere to be found. Rachel was in the middle of rehearsing the choreography for 'Dance to the Music' when the world suddenly went out from under her. Noah had her in mid-spin and the tide of time ripped her away. She only hoped that she wouldn't hit her head on the way down.

***

_Rachel put her hands up to shield her eyes from the sun as Wheels knocked the ball down the third base line and took off for first. He rounded first and slid into second as one of the opposing team threw the ball into the second baseman's glove. Wheels' foot touched the base a split second before the baseman caught the ball and Captain Higgins called him safe. Wheels stood up, dusted his pants off and adjusted his glasses before getting into position to run again. Having been to more than her fair share of Yankee's games, Rachel was fairly certain he was going to try to steal third and she hoped he did because the boys from Noah's company could really use the run. She bit down on her thumbnail as Humble, the company's radio operator, stepped up to the plate. He hadn't really proven to be a great hitter, but he had a hell of an arm._

_The loud pop of Betty's gum bubble bursting drew Rachel's attention away from the game. Betty was sweet as pie, with pretty pale blond hair and a big smile. She was also a bit simple, but Rachel tried her best to have patience with the girl. Betty smiled widely and gave a loud whoop as Rachel heard the sound of a baseball impacting a glove. Rachel turned her head in time to see Wheels shoot a cheeky grin towards the stands from his recent position at third base. "Your man sure is playing to impress today, Betty," Rachel said._

_Betty blushed prettily and spun the thin gold band around her finger. She and Wheels had met shortly after Noah had introduced himself and Rachel had facilitated an introduction between Harleen and Noah's friend Hudson, but they'd fallen in love faster than you could spit. With things the way they were and the boys' orders up in the air, Betty and Wheels had wasted no time in making their love official. "Aww Rachel," Betty said airily, "he's not trying to impress me. He just likes to run is all. I think he does his best footwork on the dance floor."_

_Selena, the dark eyed Latin beauty who rounded out Rachel's back-up in the show, laughed loudly. "It's funny because I coulda sworn you told me that he does his best work off his feet Betty," she said with a wink._

_Betty blushed brightly and ducked her head. "You're not supposed to say things like that in public, Sel, people might get the wrong idea."_

"_Nothing's wrong with the idea that a husband knows how to take care of his wife's needs," Selena stated matter-of-factly._

_Their conversation was cut short as Harleen and the show's chaperone Miss Emily joined the girls in the stands. "How are they doing?" Harleen asked, her eyes searching for Hudson in the dugout._

_Rachel shrugged. "They were down by two till Wheels came around; now it's just one. Lieutenant Williams is batting next; he can probably get Humble around to third. He's got a good set of arms."_

_Miss Emily turned scarlet at Rachel's casual mention of Lieutenant Williams' arms and she turned to shush Rachel, only to be distracted as the lieutenant swung out hard and sent the ball careening into the outfield. Humble took off from first, having been walked there, and Lieutenant Williams' started his run around the bases. Rachel and the rest of the girls were on their feet and cheering as Humble rounded third and headed for home with the lieutenant hot on his heels. Humble crossed home plate as the ball came into the outfield and Lieutenant Williams rounded third. As the ball came hurtling toward the catcher, the lieutenant dove forward, sliding head first into home and narrowly avoiding getting the catcher's foot in his kisser._

_Miss Emily watched the play through her spread fingers and it dawned on Rachel that she had a soft spot for the curly haired Lieutenant, maybe even a crush. It made Rachel happy to see the humanity under Miss Emily's strict, tidy, Bluenose exterior. She wondered if there was anything that she could do to push the two in the right direction as she and Noah had done for Harleen and Hudson._

_Rachel's attention wandered away from the game as she reflected fondly on playing 'yenta' as she'd so aptly called it. Harleen and Hudson were perfect for each other. It hadn't been obvious at first, but since they'd become exclusive it had become apparent that they belonged together. Hudson, the sweet and simple young man who was also from New York, evened out Harleen's tendency to be high-strung, while Harleen, the wholesome-looking Maine beauty queen, helped Hudson focus and understand things that might have previously been beyond his grasp. After their bumpy first few dates, arranged by Noah and Rachel, Hudson and Harleen had come together seamlessly, almost as if they'd known each other forever._

_As for Rachel, she was surprised that she'd managed to find her own happiness with someone as brash and loud-mouthed as Noah. She hadn't been wrong the first night they met when she'd thought he'd ruined everything by opening his mouth. Noah seemed to have been born without tact and he didn't really care that it was something he was missing. However, Noah was funny, sweet, kind, and loyal. He was also the single most exquisite hunk of man Rachel had ever come across. With all his flaws, including being born and bred a Red Sox fan, which Rachel was fairly certain was a sin somewhere; Noah was the perfect man for her. Some days Noah knew her so well that she thought he could see inside of her and read her mind._

_Even though Rachel loved Noah more than anything, she hadn't had the courage to tell him. She wasn't sure if she ever would, as long as they were still involved in Hitler's damn war. Rachel couldn't bear the thought of giving herself completely to Noah and then losing him when the boys were given their marching orders. Make no mistake, those orders were coming. Rachel could feel it._

_In part, Rachel knew what they had couldn't last because Rachel had always been able to tell when something big was going to happen, ever since she was a little girl. She sometimes knew things other people didn't know. She would know who was at the door before it opened, heck sometimes she answered it before they even knocked. Lately, though, her 'gift' had turned into something terrifying._

_Rachel, who was usually a very sound sleeper, had been having the strangest dreams for weeks. She couldn't always remember what they were about, but more often than not Rachel would wake in the middle of the night with tears on her face, scared out of her mind and possessed by the urge to cross the base and check Noah's bed in the barracks, just to make sure he was still there. When she did remember things, they were only small details. Noah would say or do something and Rachel would remember it from her dreams. Some nights she sat in bed with a sick feeling tearing at her insides that somehow they'd done this all before. It was impossible, not to mention crazy, and it scared her more than anything._

_Noah hadn't said he loved her either, though Rachel was sure he'd been on the verge for some time. Sometimes, when he looked at her she was convinced the words were on the tip of his tongue but Noah always managed to hold himself back. Rachel was kind of glad the words weren't out there. She hoped it would make it easier when he got called into the fight._

_Of course, deep down, Rachel knew that was a filthy, stinking lie, but she buried that knowledge deep inside and greeted every moment of her and Noah's shared time with a smile._

_Speaking of her wonderful brute, Rachel spotted him leaning on the fence by the third base line, staring at the baseball game with longing. There was another man with him, who was even more of a bear than Noah was. He said something to Noah and then dropped his hand on Noah's shoulder. Noah nodded his head and the other man, a Sergeant maybe, walked away. Noah's face was downcast in a way that tugged at Rachel's heartstrings._

_Rachel's heart clenched as Noah pushed off the fence, his face resolved. His eyes met hers across the field and the bottom dropped out of her stomach. Oh please, she thought, don't let this be it._

_Her heart began to pound as he strode around the fence behind the playing field, greeting the rest of his unit but not stopping to chat. As he reached the bleachers where Rachel and the other girls were seated, Noah focused his attention and charm on Miss Emily. The redhead blinked her enormous doe eyes at him as he smiled slowly. "Lovely day, don't you think ma'am?" Noah said politely._

"_Yes, Private," Miss Emily lisped, "it is a very lovely day."_

_Noah smiled winsomely again and Rachel stifled a laugh as Miss Emily's cheeks turned pink. "Now, you wouldn't mind if I wanted to spend some of such a lovely day with my sweetheart, now would you ma'am?" Noah asked_

_Miss Emily's lips pursed as she tried to resist Noah. He could be quite charming when he was polite and courteous. "Now, Private, as Rachel's chaperone, I'm not sure that I can allow her to go off with you unsupervised," she replied._

_Noah made his eyes get really big and stuck his full lower lip out just a little and Rachel swallowed an unladylike snort. He was a real master when it came to getting what he wanted. Trouble with a capital 'T.' Even Rachel, who Noah had rightly pegged as a tough customer, had a hard time not giving in to his Bostonian charm. "Please ma'am," he said solemnly, "it wouldn't be for long. I'd have her right back in 30 minutes, tops. I swear on my mother's life."_

_Rachel's panic returned. Noah must want to talk to her about something serious if he was willing to swear on his mother's life. Miss Emily sighed softly, "Oh all right, but I don't want you two out of sight. As long as you don't go further than that building over there and have her back within the next half hour, I suppose I can let you two go off alone this once."_

_Noah gave her his biggest, most dazzling smile and Miss Emily literally melted. "Thanks ma'am, you're a real classy dame."_

_Miss Emily waved them off as Noah took Rachel by the hand and led her towards the building Miss Emily had pointed to. It was a storage building of some kind, not too far from the baseball diamond. Noah was uncharacteristically silent the whole way there. When they finally reached the building, Noah turned to Rachel, face dead serious._

_Rachel's heart fluttered like a frightened bird and she prayed that he wasn't going to give her bad news._

_Noah looked away from her, scuffing his standard issue boot along the ground. Rachel tipped his face up so that he'd meet her eyes and for a long moment, they just stared at each other._

"_You're shipping out," Rachel said finally._

"_Yeah," Noah replied._

"_When?"_

"_End of the week probably. Maybe earlier."_

_Rachel frowned. "None of the others seemed put out and Betty never mentioned anything about Wheels getting marching orders..." she trailed off._

_Noah shook his head. "That's 'cause he ain't sweetheart. It's just me. I got hand-picked for some special squad 'cause I'm the bees' knees."_

_Rachel reached out and gripped his hand tightly in hers, suddenly feeling cold. There was something ominous hidden under Noah's light tone and it made her shiver. It also made her do something very stupid that she'd been trying to avoid. "I love you, you know," she said, "even if you are a Sox fan."_

_Noah nodded and placed his free hand on her cheek. "Yeah," he said, "I know. I love you too, even if you have the poor taste to love those damn Yankees."_

_Rachel made a noise that was halfway between a sob and a laugh. "So what happens now?" she asked quietly._

"_Well," Noah said, dropping to one knee in the dirt and pressing a kiss to her palm, "I was thinking I'd marry you, I mean if you aren't busy for the rest of your life..."_

_Rachel's answer was to drop to her knees and rain kisses down on his face, even though she knew she was sealing her own heartbreak._

_***_

_They were married two days later by a Rabbi that Hudson managed to pull out of nowhere. It was a small, intimate ceremony and, except for one small thing, it was almost completely traditional. Rachel and Noah deviated from the ceremony only once, when they requested that the Rabbi let them say a few words that Rachel desperately wanted to have included._

_Smiling softly, Noah took Rachel's hand and said, "I am Noah, and I am yours, forever."_

_Rachel, in answer, spoke the words she felt she had waited her whole life to say. "I am Rachel," she said, "and I belong to you, always."_

_Still smiling, Noah smashed a glass underfoot._

***

When Rachel came to, she was staring up at Noah who looked concerned and possibly terrified. He wiped his sleeve across her face before helping her into a seated position. Looking around the room, she saw a number of other facial expressions ranging from worried (Brittany of all people) to exasperated (Kurt).

"Rachel, are you okay?" Mr. Shue asked, crouching down to touch her shoulder.

She mustered a weak smile for him. "I'll be fine, Mr. Shue, I'm just a little dizzy, that's all. I'm probably just getting run down from how hard we're working."

Mr. Shue's face creased into a frown as Noah took Rachel's hand and helped her off the floor. "Maybe we should take a few days off then Rachel; it might be good for all of us to get some rest," he said.

Rachel shook her head. "It's really fine Mr. Shue. I just need five minutes to get some water and rest a little. I promise it will be okay."

Mr Shue shook his head. "Sorry Rachel, my mind's already made up."

He turned to face the rest of New Directions. "Okay everyone, that's going to be all for today. Go home, get some rest. I want to see you all back here in two days with your 'A' game."

Most of the other club members smiled in relief. Rachel was only slightly shocked when Brittany wrapped her arms around Rachel and hugged tightly. The Cheerio's eyes were watery when she pulled back. "I'm so glad you're okay Rachel. I thought you might be a Cancer."

Rachel blinked a few times before realizing what Brittany actually meant. "Thanks Britt," she said, extracting herself from the taller girl's hug, "I'm fine."

Brittany narrowed her eyes at her. "Promise?" she asked.

"I promise," Rachel replied.

"Pinky swear?" Brittany asked, holding out her pinky.

Rachel looked to Santana for help, but the girl was deep in conversation with Mercedes. Looking around again, Rachel spotted Artie who made an interlocking gesture with his pinky fingers. Rachel wrapped her pinky around Brittany's and nodded. "Pinky swear," she said firmly.

Brittany bounced off to stand next to Santana, who frowned at the other Cheerio. The smile on Brittany's face drooped a little until Artie rolled up beside her and said something to make her laugh. Rachel couldn't help but smile as the blond girl's face lit up. Artie really was a great friend.

Rachel was dragged from her observation by Noah's hand coming to rest in the small of her back. She looked up and him expectantly and he held up her coat and bag. "My mom's at home today and she'll be pissed at me if I don't bring you to dinner;" he said, rolling his eyes, "if you're feeling up to it, obviously."

Rachel put what she hoped was a convincing smile on her face. "I'm fine," she said, patting his arm gently, "and I would love to come to dinner."

With that, Rachel let Noah take her by the hand and lead her out of the music room, never noticing that his shirtsleeve was stained with blood.


	19. Here's to the Nights

**A/N: Oh thank all that's good and fuzzy that I'm finally finished this chapter. I found this so difficult to write. Add finals and graduation and a practicum on top of that and it takes me forever to write anything! 1 down, 3 to go. Stick with me, pretty please. I'll try my best to get it out!**

They say that time has a way of rushing past you when you aren't paying attention. Rachel realized how true that saying was during dinner the night before Regionals. She was amazed at how far the club had come in what felt like such a short time. The Glee club, along with Mr. Shue, Ms. Pillsbury, Mrs. Hudson and Mr. Hummel, had commandeered the back room of the Denny's that was attached to the hotel they were staying at in Adderfield.

Adderfield was about an hour away from Lima and New Directions could have rented a bus and made the two hour round trip commute the day of Regionals. Mr. Shue, however, saw the lengthy drive as an opportunity to plan an overnight trip with a view to strengthening the team's bond.

The revelation hit Rachel as she was sitting next to Brittany, while the cheerleader was eating the pancakes Artie had given her out of his Lumberjack Slam. Apparently, Cheerios weren't supposed to eat carbs, but Artie had seen how Brittany had been looking at his pancakes and, being the sweet guy he was, he'd given them to her. The budding friendship between the two teens was the most surprising and pleasing development on the road to Regionals.

Rachel was genuinely happy that Brittany had found a friend in Artie, a friend that the sweet, simple girl needed when her relationship with Santana had come to an end. The two had been nearly inseparable, much to Tina's dismay, since Artie had come across Brittany crying in the choir room about Santana's evil mother. He'd held her hand, told her that everything happened for a reason and then turned Brittany's focus to making their duet for Regionals the very best it could possibly be. Even though Rachel already knew that he was a stand-up guy, having seen quite a few incarnations of Artie, she was glad he'd been given the chance to prove it.

Rachel stifled a laugh as Brittany shoved half a pancake in her mouth at once and tried to smile at Artie. Artie started to laugh and soon the three of them were laughing loudly. It was enough to pull Rachel out of her somewhat ruminations, but only for a moment.

If Brittany and Artie's friendship had been the most uplifting development of the past weeks, then the seeming dissolution of Rachel's friendship with Noah had to be the most depressing. She wasn't really sure what had happened. Up until the day of her last vision, things seemed to be fine. They'd ridden to and from school together every day and they'd spent a lot of time outside of school practicing their number.

After Rachel's last vision, she'd gone to the Puckerman household for dinner and had a wonderful time. Ruth and Bekah were both so happy to have her over. They'd been so kind and welcoming that Rachel almost felt like part of the family. After dinner, Rachel had helped Noah do the dishes. There had been a moment, after he'd put a glob of soap bubbles on her nose and she'd pretended to be upset, where Rachel had been certain from the top of her head to the tip of her toes that Noah was going to kiss her. Their lips were an inch apart and Rachel's heart was pounding, but Noah had just wiped the bubbles off her nose and gone back to doing the dishes like nothing out of the ordinary had occurred.

Rachel considered briefly that it might have been a misstep to let Ruth hug her when she'd said goodbye. It might have freaked Noah out a little, but it felt like the most natural thing in the world for Rachel. He started to pull away from her after that day. Noah found excuses not to pick her up or drive her home. Sure, they still practiced their song in Glee, but their out of school practices had cut down to twice a week if Rachel was lucky. She also wondered if maybe, just maybe, Finn had spilled the beans about her confession of love for Noah.

Mostly, she was just heartbroken and confused. Noah was loyal. He'd been loyal since the dawn of time. His loyalty was just as much a part of him as the colour of his eyes. Once he took you into his care, he didn't abandon you. Of course, Rachel didn't want to consider the possibility that Noah didn't care for her. After seeing millennia of their love, Rachel didn't know that if it was possible for him not to feel something. Just thinking about it made her want to cry.

Rachel was distracted again as Brittany leaned back and sighed, patting her stomach. "I feel like balloon," she said dreamily.

"What do you mean?" asked Artie, raising a brow.

"Big and stretchy," the Cheerio said, lifting one leg vertically in the air and holding it by her ear.

Rachel didn't miss the look in Artie's eyes just then and filed it away for later. Her own gaze landed across the room where Noah was sitting between Matt and Mike, laughing like it wasn't killing her to be without him.

Noah turned his head and caught her gaze, before frowning and looking away. He went back to his conversation like nothing had happened and Rachel died a little inside. She ate a few more bites of her salad before looking away.

When she looked up again, Noah was looming over Artie's shoulder, talking to Ms. Pillsbury. Ms. Pillsbury had agreed to act as the girl's co-chaperone with Mrs. Hudson. Rachel, along with Brittany and Quinn, had been placed in her group. Noah gave Ms. Pillsbury 'puppy eyes' and Rachel managed to catch the tail end of their conversation over the noise of the restaurant.

"Please Ms. Pillsbury; it won't be for long. I promise I'll have her back in 30 minutes, tops," Noah said, pouring on the charm.

Ms. Pillsbury's expression wavered between a flustered smile and a disapproving frown. "I just don't think I should let you two go off unsupervised," she said.

"I gotta check a few things over with her for the duet tomorrow. Please, Ms. P?" he said with a winning smile.

Ms. Pillsbury sighed and smiled brightly. "As long as you stay within the bounds of the hotel parking lot and you have Rachel back in exactly half an hour, I suppose I could let it slip this once."

Noah's smile was full and dazzling. Ms. Pillsbury never stood a chance. "Thanks Ms. P," he said, "you're a cool chick."

Then Rachel found herself face to face with that same smile. Despite the worn patches his neglect had created in her heart, Rachel smiled back.

"So," Noah said, sticking his hands in his pockets, "you wanna take a walk with me?"

Rachel nodded and left a twenty to cover her meal. She squeezed over Brittany and followed him out of the restaurant.

For a while, they walked around the hotel without saying a word. Rachel, as usual, was bursting with questions. She was angry with Noah and, more than anything, she wanted to know why he'd been acting like such a jerk. Rachel was desperate to know what, if anything, she had done to cause a rift between them, but Noah didn't say a word.

Finally, they came to a bench that was just outside the fence around the empty outdoor pool. Noah reached out and took Rachel's hand, dragging her to sit down with him. To her surprise, he didn't let go. Rachel was understandably confused.

"Noah..." she began, only to have him cut her off.

"Look, I'm not really good at this whole apology thing, but I wanted to say that I'm sorry. You were there for me through some pretty shitty stuff and I shouldn't have bailed on you," he said quietly, staring at his sneakers.

"Then why did you?" Rachel asked, watching his face.

Noah frowned and ran his free hand over his face. When he met her gaze, his hazel eyes were more serious than Rachel had ever seen them in this life. "I'm not a good person for you to have around, Rachel. Trust me when I say that all I'm going to do is make you hurt, and I really don't want you to, because it sucks when you hurt."

"Noah," Rachel said, frowning, "I'm very capable of making my own decisions about who should be in my life and who shouldn't."

Rachel's heard skidded to a halt when Noah brushed a kiss over the knuckles of the hand he was holding. "I'm not good for you Rachel. You've got all these huge, crazy dreams and I can't be the guy that fucks them up for you. I don't have a future, Rach."

Noah's words cut Rachel to her very core. Noah couldn't possibly know what he was saying. He couldn't possibly understand what hearing that phrase meant to Rachel, after she had seen his life snuffed out so many times. Her heart clenched so fiercely in her chest that Rachel didn't trust herself to speak, so she gave him her very best Diva glare and hoped it would be enough to stop his foolishness once and for all.

In return, Noah shook his head sadly and shrugged. "Let's face it Rach, only one of us is going places and it sure as shit ain't the Puckerone," he said honestly.

"You listen to me, Noah Puckerman. You are talented and athletic and much smarter than you let on. You can also be just as determined as I can be, when you choose to be. It's preposterous that you think you can just sit here and lie to my face. There must be something you can see yourself doing," Rachel ranted.

Noah ran his free hand over his mohawk and stared out at the parking lot. "I guess...I dunno...I've been thinking about joining the Marines," he said quietly.

Pain and stars exploded behind Rachel's eyes and she squeezed Noah's hand tightly as the world turned gauzy, just like the first time. Her ears buzzed to the point of pain and Rachel became deaf and blind to anything outside the vision.

The sun was shining brightly and the sky was a vivid blue above a grove of lush green trees. Somewhere, there were birds chirping.

Rachel saw herself dressed in black with a single torn black ribbon pinned over her left breast, leaning against Quinn. They were both weeping. On Rachel's other side, Ruth held Rachel's hand in a grip so tight that their knuckles were white. All of the members of New Directions were in the small crowd around them and they were all dressed in sombre tones.

Rabbi Greenburg was at the head of the crowd, reciting a prayer that Rachel hadn't heard since her grandmother had passed away.

At the head of the grave, not exactly keeping with tradition, there was a shining eight by ten glossy photo of Noah in Marine dress. He was older than the boy sitting next to her, but not by much.

As Rabbi Greenburg finished his prayer, Rachel watched as her future self followed Ruth and Bekah to throw a handful of dirt into the grave, presumably onto Noah's coffin. Rabbi Greenburg recited a final prayer and then a group of Marines, which Rachel hadn't noticed before, stepped up and raised their weapons.

As they fired the first of three volleys, Rachel slammed back into the present, squeezing Noah's hand tightly.

"No," Rachel said, shakily, "it's too dangerous."

Noah smiled at her wanly. "You almost sound like you doubt my badassness," he said.

Rachel pulled on his hand hard enough to drag him forward so they were mere inches apart. "Noah," she said, "while I have no doubt that you are completely badass, your aforementioned badassness will do nothing to protect you from being shot or blown up."

"Aw, Rach," Noah said sweetly, "I didn't know you cared."

"Then you're a moron," she replied, trying not to get distracted by the way Noah's breath was passing over her lips.

"How 'bout I be your moron?" he asked innocently.

Rachel blinked as her jaw fell open with a soft click that sent Noah scrambling back, laughing awkwardly.

"You know what, Rach," he said, "how about we just forget that came out of my mouth."

"I don't understand. One moment you're saying that I shouldn't spend time with you and then you're asking to be...mine? You're very confusing."

Noah laughed and stood, letting go of Rachel's hand. "Don't even worry about it. Anyways, we should get back or Ms. P's going to have, like, a really uptight fit, or some shit."

Rachel stood and smoothed her skirt down before placing her hand on Noah's arm. "I forgive you, you know, for 'bailing' on me," she said.

"Thanks," he said, placing his hand over hers.

"I'm not good for you either," Rachel said sadly.

Noah just rolled his eyes. "Yeah," he said, "you'll totally be the death of me."

Rachel let out a hollow laugh and let Noah lead her back to the hotel.


	20. WWII, part 3

**A/N: It feels like the closer I get to the end, the harder it is to write. I guess I just don't want to leave my versions of Noah and Rachel behind. There are only two chapters left and I want to finish, but it makes me sad to think that this is going to be over. I've had such an amazing time writing for you guys and am so grateful for all of your comments and reviews. I may not reply to everyone, but I read them all and I totally cherish them, as dorky as it sounds. I think that when this is over I'm going to take a break from Glee for a while. I've got a series of Supernatural one-shots/mini-chaps I'm going to work on during hiatus (if there are any Supernatural fans, which I know there are...please check out my fic "All the World's a Stage"). And end super long winded author's note.**

**BBBB**

_With a sigh, Rachel pushed a stray curl off her face and hiked up her bag of groceries. It had been early when she'd left the apartment she shared with Ruth and Rebekah, Noah's mother and sister, and the weather had been nice. It had been a little on the warm side but nothing Rachel couldn't handle. She'd assumed that it would cool off to be another average autumn day._

_Of course, she hadn't anticipated how long it would take to complete all her errands or that it was going to turn out to be one of the hottest days Boston had seen in years. She'd been to the bakery, for bread, then to the green grocer for fresh vegetables, and finally to the post office to see if there was a new letter from Noah waiting for her. Even though Rachel hadn't been trying to get items that were on the ration list, the lines for food were long._

_By the time she got to the post office to wait in line for the mail, Rachel's dress was stuck to her. Of course, the heat was all the worse due to Rachel's pregnancy. She wasn't far along but her small frame made her impending motherhood evident. It didn't help one bit that the child was big enough to move around and that he had his father's distain for sitting still._

_After standing in line for what seemed like hours, Rachel finally made it to the front, only to discover that there was no word from Noah. She took consolation in the fact that there was a letter for her from Betty. It was sweet that Betty still wrote. She had gone to England with a USO tour when Wheels had received his marching orders and she wrote once a month. Rachel knew the letter would be upbeat and chatty, even though the situation in England was becoming grimmer and more depressing as time went on. Rachel could always count on Betty to find something to smile about._

_The prospect of the walk home from the post office was daunting, even if it was just a few blocks. Rachel sighed and stepped out onto the sidewalk. A thin film of sweat immediately formed on her skin, pooling around her hairline and making it itch likes crazy. She adjusted her bags and stared down the street. The heat of the day made the pavement shimmer. Well, the sooner she left, the quicker she would get home. Steeling herself, Rachel began walking._

_Rachel barely made it one block before the back of her dress was soaked with sweat. She stopped for a moment to adjust her bags again and take a few breaths. Her son kicked her so sharply that she nearly dropped the bags. Rachel hoped that he'd eventually grow out of Noah's impatience._

_She managed to walk another block and a half before she needed to stop again. Her back was aching fiercely from the combination of carrying the groceries and her jitterbug of a son. Thankfully, Rachel's route had brought her past the small park a block from the apartment. Sending up a quick prayer, Rachel crossed the street and took a seat on a shaded park bench. The difference in temperature was unbelievable._

_Rachel set the bags down beside her and closed her eyes, letting out a pleasured sigh. She withdrew the handkerchief she'd tucked into the pocket of her dress and patted at the back of her neck. Silly thing didn't do much in the way of soaking up the sweat on her skin, bur Rachel felt better for doing it._

_Rachel wasn't sure how long she'd been sitting on the bench when the boards shifted; signalling that someone else thought it was a nice place to hide out from the heat. She opened her eyes and sent a quick, friendly smile to the bench's other occupant._

_Her bench neighbour wasn't at all what she had expected. He was a huge hulk of a man with dark hair and dark eyes. Rachel could see the dark hair on his arms where his sleeved was rolled up. It took her a moment to notice that one of his arms ended at the elbow. Her companion would have been handsome had he not had a fresh dark purple scar running down the left side of his face. She couldn't be sure, but Rachel thought that he might also be missing the ear on that side._

_Her heart began to pound and her back tensed as the great bear of a man sitting next to her broke into what might have been a smile. It was a sad sort of half smile-half grimace that made Rachel wish she hadn't bothered to stop at all._

"_You're prettier than your picture," he grumbled, still trying to smile._

"_I think you have me mistaken for someone else, sir," Rachel said, reaching for her bags. The stranger stopped her by placing his good hand on her forearm. Rachel wondered what kind of chance she'd have if he tried to attack her. He was big, sure, but he only had one arm. If she hit him hard enough and ran, maybe she and her baby would be alright._

"_He kept it in his helmet," the man said quietly._

_Rachel's hand slid off the bag she was reaching for and she studied the man carefully. There was something about him that was familiar, though she couldn't put her finger on it. The sun broke through the trees for a moment and glinted off the metal ball link chain poking out from under his collar._

"_You're Rachel, aren't you?" he asked._

_Rachel sat bonelessly on the bench and nodded. The man sitting beside her had looked so much more formidable the day he'd spoken to Noah at the baseball field. He'd looked resigned and proud in his sergeant's chevrons. There was no pride in him now, as he sat listlessly on the park bench beside her._

"_Kid never shut up about you, you know?" he said. "Every free moment we had he was writin' you, or staring at your picture. Seems like all he ever talked about was gettin' home to you."_

_Rachel breathed in and out as silently as she could and wished desperately for a glass of water. Her mother, Sheila, had died when she was just a little girl and her poor father had no idea how to deal with female emotions. Whenever she was sad, he'd bring her a glass of water, until it became second nature for her to get thirsty when she was sad or upset._

"_He prayed every day too;" her companion continued, his heavy Boston accent thickening as he spoke, "twice a day after he got the letter about your kid. I ain't never seen a guy so happy in a warzone. Even the Lieutenant got into the spirit. He made us ambush some Krauts just to steal their champagne to give the kid a proper mazel tov."_

_Rachel shifted as another wave of pain rolled across her back. She stared down at her hands and prayed fervently that this man wasn't taking the conversation where it seemed like he was._

"_You know," he said, pulling her from her thoughts, "I shouldn't even be sittin' here talkin' to you right now. I wouldn't be if it weren't for the kid."_

_The bottom of Rachel's stomach dropped out at his words. Unwillingly, a sob tore from her throat. "He's not coming home, is he?"_

_The man put his arm on her shoulder and squeezed lightly. "I'm so sorry, sweetheart, but he ain't."_

"_How did it happen?" she whispered, hoping that it had been quick and painless._

"_Damn fool tackled me out of the blast range of a grenade;" her companion said, squeezing her shoulder again, "we woulda made it too, if he hadn't taken a bullet in the thigh earlier on."_

_Rachel sobbed as her back seized in pain and her world fell apart. The man beside her awkwardly tucked her under his good arm and held her as she cried. He was obviously uncomfortable, but Rachel didn't care. She cried until her eyes dried up and her heart felt like a lump of ice in her chest. Carefully, she extracted herself from her companion's arm and dabbed at her eyes with her sweaty handkerchief._

"_Do Ruth and Rebekah know?" she asked quietly._

_The man nodded. "I went by the apartment first. You should be gettin' the official word in a few days, but I wanted to tell you myself."_

_Rachel rubbed at her back ineffectively. "Are they okay?"_

_The man shrugged. "They're both upset, but from what the kid told me they're tough. They'll make it through. It was you he was worried about."_

_Her dry eyes ached with tears they couldn't shed. "He always said he thought I was a real tough customer."_

"_Yeah, I'm sure you are, sweetheart, but he made me promise to make sure you'd be okay," the man said._

_Rachel simply closed her eyes and rubbed her back harder, trying to will away the immense pain ripping through it. She was sweating again. It felt like there was a river running down her back and her thighs were uncomfortably sticky where they'd been pressed together._

"_Listen," her companion said, "there was something else too. Something he wanted to make sure you knew."_

"_What was it?" Rachel rasped, wondering why no one had ever told her that grief could make the colours of the world seem brighter and disjointed._

_The man ran his good hand through his hair and his cheeks flushed. "He wanted me to tell you that he was yours, always," he said finally._

_Rachel would have cried if she could have. She knew she would belong to Noah forever, but she had thought forever would be a whole lot more time._

"_Thank you for taking the time to come see me, Mr..." she trailed off, clutching her back._

"_Donnie," he said, "please just call me Donnie."_

_Rachel smiled weakly at Donnie and reached for her grocery bags. "I should be getting home, Donnie," she said._

"_How's about you let me help you?" he offered, standing and reaching for one of the bags with his good arm._

"_Thank you, really," Rachel replied, struggling to her feet, "but I can manage."_

"_I gotta insist, doll," Donnie said, hefting the bag onto his hip._

_When Rachel got to her feet, a wave of pain ripped through her and her thighs grew wet. The grocery bag dropped from her hands and she could hear the milk bottle shatter on the ground. With shaking hands, Rachel touched the skin above her knee. She watched, fascinated as her fingers came away sticky with blood._

_There was a moment where time ground to a halt as she stared into Donnie's horrified face before she was suddenly looking up at the sky. She wondered for a moment how she could suddenly be so cold on such a sweltering day. Somewhere in the background, she could hear Donnie calling for help and shouting her name._

_His voice was so much like Noah's, she marvelled as the sights and sounds of the park started to fade. It was almost like hearing him call her name._

**BBBB**

"Rachel!" a voice shouted, "Come on Rachel! Please wake up!"


	21. Wake Up

**A/N: In celebration of my 500****th**** review and tonight's season finale, I present you with the penultimate chapter of this story. For those reviewers who were kind enough to tell me to take my time, I want to assure you that I didn't need it on this chapter. It just kind of flowed from the end of the last one and I'm pleased that my inspiration didn't dry up for weeks between chapters this time. Again, I'm going to shamelessly pimp out the first fic of my new Supernatural series of one-shots/mini-caps "All the World's a Stage" because I love it (and because New Directions sang 'To Sir with Love" which reminded me of JDM *squee*). I also wanted to give you fine folks a heads up that there will be a companion piece to this in the future called "A Stretch of Mortal Time", as well as a short Bartie fic set in the Not With the Eyes-verse. So thank you for all of your amazing reviews. I write these things for you and am so happy that you like them enough to say so.**

**BBBB**

"Please, please, babe just open your eyes," a stubborn voice demanded.

As Rachel came back to the world, she began to sob, clinging tightly to the arms that were around her. Every part of her body ached like she'd been swimming in the ocean for hours, mercilessly beaten by the waves. The stark terror of death still clung to her and she fought to throw it off.

"Shh," she heard, "you're safe now. You're here. We're gonna be okay, I promise. I swear it'll all be different. Just breathe."

Rachel couldn't stop shaking and crying, so she just held tight and let the strong arms rock her until she cried herself out. When she finally felt calm enough to open her eyes, it was difficult. The tears she'd cried during her vision had dried on her lashes and stuck her eyes shut. It took her a moment, but she blinked slowly and was greeted by the sight of ten terrified faces.

The entirety of New Directions was in her hotel room in various states of disorder. Some of them were dressed in outfits that looked hastily thrown on, like Matt and Mike, while others were still in their pyjamas. Even Kurt, who'd thrown a silk smoking jacket over his expensive-looking pyjamas, looked more dishevelled than she'd ever seen him. As she met their concerned eyes, the group gave a collective sigh of relief.

"Noah?" she asked hoarsely, searching him out in the crowd.

"I'm right here, babe. I got you," she heard from behind her.

Turning, she stared up into Noah's pale face. His green eyes were shining in the light of the hotel lamp and the sheer relief of seeing him whole and alive sent Rachel into a fresh round of sobs. She threw her arms around his neck and pulled him tight to her, never wanting to let go.

"Hey, hey now," he whispered, rocking her gently, "it's okay. We're okay. We're okay."

Rachel only cried and hugged him harder.

"Hey guys," Noah said, "could one of you get a glass of water?"

"Sure," Finn replied, "I'll get it."

"Rach, babe, you gotta let go for a minute, okay?" Noah whispered.

"No!" she shouted, the strength of her protest surprising her.

"Just for a minute, I promise. You need to drink this," he said, taking the glass from Finn. "I'm not going anywhere."

Nodding jerkily, Rachel took the glass and started to chug it down.

"Whoa," Noah said firmly, gently pulling the glass away from her mouth, "slow down. You're gonna choke."

Rachel complied, pulling the glass back and drinking slowly, pausing to take a few deep, calming breaths between sips.

"Not to be a complete bastard," Kurt said haughtily, "but what in the name of Gaga was that?"

"Night terror," Rachel lied quickly, "I've had them for a while."

Kurt raised a perfectly arched brow and stared at her. "And you didn't think to mention this to your roommates?"

Guilty, Rachel looked to Quinn, who was leaning against Finn with a hand over her stomach. There were deep purple bags under her eyes and a thin sheen of sweat on her brow. Looking for Brittany, Rachel found her huddled on Artie's lap, with her head buried in his neck. He had his arms around the poor girl, who was so pale she was nearly colourless. Artie rubbed small circles on her back murmuring softly in her ear while staring at Rachel with relieved, angry eyes.

"Oh God," Rachel said, "I am so sorry. Quinn, Britt...I'm just so sorry. I thought that I would be okay. I didn't even think..."

"You never do," shot Quinn angrily, "do you have any idea how scared we were? Britt nearly fainted and I could have gone into labour! How could you be so stupid?"

"Quinn, that's enough!" Noah snapped.

"Noah, it's okay," Rachel said gently. "She's got every right to be angry. I should have told them."

Noah's forehead creased in frustration. "It's not like you can help it, Rach," he said, "you don't know when you're going to get them...they just happen."

There was something in his voice that made Rachel stop and wonder. She couldn't be sure what Noah was talking about. Was it possible he'd been seeing things too? If he had, why hadn't he said anything? Why would he keep something like that from her?

"Still," Rachel found herself saying, "I should have said something."

"I'm happy you're okay, Rachel," Brittany said. "You were rolling around like my cousin Barry. The Barry with the apoplexy, not the Barry with a boyfriend," she clarified.

"You mean epilepsy, don't you Britt?" Artie asked.

Brittany smiled at him brightly and the anger drained out of Artie's eyes. "Yeah, I guess so. How'd you get to be so smart?" she asked with a little laugh.

Artie smiled back. "Just lucky I guess," he replied.

Noah's arms tightened around her and Rachel knew that he was smiling.

"We're all glad you're okay," Tina said, smiling a little.

"Well, I think Diva needs to see a doctor and get her head checked out. Between this and the fainting..." Mercedes returned.

"Could you guys give us a few minutes?" Noah requested, his tone leaving no room for objection.

Quinn's eyes narrowed. "You can have five. We still need to get ready and track down something for breakfast before Regionals. I'm also fairly certain that the adults are getting suspicious of that 'pre-competition pep talk' story we fed them."

"Whatever," Noah said flippantly, "I'll be out in five."

Rachel did her best to smile as the rest of New Directions exited the hotel room, leaving her and Noah alone. She leaned back against him and waved to Brittany as she pushed Artie out the door. She felt a gentle pressure against the top of her head as Noah rested her chin there. She couldn't be sure, but she thought he might have kissed her hair.

Turning around in his embrace, Rachel brushed a hand over his cheekbone. "I'm sorry I frightened you," she said.

Noah rolled his eyes. "I'm totally badass, babe; I wasn't even scared."

Rachel raised her eyebrows and gave him a disbelieving look.

Noah shrugged and looked away. "Okay, maybe a little. I mean, Brittany practically broke down our door and dragged me out of bed. She's freakishly strong for someone that skinny."

"Noah," Rachel admonished.

Noah's mouth puckered into a frown. "She was really upset, Rach. I couldn't even understand what she was saying, but she kept saying your name and trying to pull me out of bed. When I got here, you were trashing around like you couldn't breathe. Then you called out for me and, I dunno, I just, like, grabbed you and tried to wake you up. It sucked because you wouldn't wake up and I felt like I couldn't help and yeah, I guess I was a little terrified."

"Oh, Noah" she said, stroking his cheek again. She was surprised when he took hold of her hand and kissed her palm gently. Her heart skipped and picked up a little. The wave of love she felt for Noah in that moment filled her with awe.

"I hated that I couldn't help you," he said softly. "It reminded me of all the other times I failed you."

"What?" she asked.

Noah's green-gold eyes darkened for a moment and he swallowed before shrugging. "You know with the slushees and Karofsky and Jew-fro skeezing out on you and everything..." he said.

Rachel got the distinct feeling that Noah wasn't being entirely truthful, but decided that now was not the best time to call him on it. "It's okay, Noah. I'm fine, really."

Noah smiled lecherously at her, back to his old self. "You totally are, midget," he drawled.

Rachel wrinkled her nose and slapped him on the chest. Noah laughed and wrapped his arms around her, rolling them both so she was pinned underneath him. "No-ah!" she whined.

"Come on, babe," he said, smiling widely, "we're two smokin' hot Jews in an empty hotel room. Think of the possibilities."

"Believe me, Noah," Rachel replied, smirking, "I most certainly have. Now if you would kindly remove yourself from my room, I have Regionals to prepare for."

Noah chuckled a little and swung up into a sitting position, pulling Rachel up to sit beside him. "You sure you're up for it?" he asked seriously.

"Bring it," she replied.

Noah grinned at her and took her hand in his, rubbing his thumb across the back. "Rachel, there's something I wanna tell you," he began.

"Yes, Noah," she urged.

Noah raised his eyes up to her face and stared at her for a long moment. His tongue darted across his lower lip and Rachel watched it, fascinated. "You have a feather in your hair," he said finally, reaching up and plucking a small white and grey goose feather from the side of her head.

Noah smoothed her hair and tucked it behind her ear before his hand stopped to rest on her cheek. He cupped it tenderly and leaned in. Rachel's heart raced as her eyes fluttered closed. She felt his breath brush across her lips. Leaning forward, Rachel pressed her lips against Noah's gently.

The kiss lasted barely a second before the slamming of the hotel door startled them apart. Blood rushed into Rachel's cheeks as she turned her head to face Quinn, who was standing by the door with her arms crossed. Brittany was standing beside her with wide eyes. "Five minutes are up," Quinn said, "now get out so we can get fabulous. We have a competition to win."

Noah nodded at her and squeezed Rachel's arm. "See you on stage," he said, practically running out the door.

The rest of the girls of New Directions and Kurt entered in his wake. Rachel gulped as she spotted Kurt's rolling train case, which he lovingly referred to as his 'bag of tricks'. She didn't like the smile he was giving her. It reminded her too much of the one he'd had on his face during the ill-fated makeover he'd given her.

Brittany and Tina plunked down on either side of her and Rachel had the absurd idea that they might have been tasked with holding her down.

"Relax," Kurt said, stepping towards her, hairbrush in hand, "you are going to be stunning."

Rachel's fathers were both huge Star Trek fans and, as Kurt took another step in her direction, she realized that Seven of Nine was right. Resistance was futile.


	22. Thank You for the Music

**A/N: So ladies and gentlemen, we've come to the end of the road. Well...this was supposed to be the end of the road. When I planned this story it only had 22 chapters, but when I finished this piece it felt unfinished, so there will be just a little bit more. I cannot thank you enough for sticking with me for all these months, for waiting patiently for me to overcome my writer's block and for filling my inbox with kind words and so much love for this story. You're all unbelievable and you are the reason I write.**

**The soundtrack for Regionals is: The Shoop Shoop Song by Cher, The Wanderer by Dion, Piece of My Heart by Janis Joplin, Dance to the Music by Sly and the Family Stone and Kids by Robbie Williams and Kylie Minogue. There is also Rachel and Noah's duet by you will know it when you see it. For the duet, Noah parts are in BOLD, Rachel's are in ITALICS, with **_**BOLD ITALICS**_** representing them singing together.**

**BBBB**

Rachel nervously smoothed down the skirt of her red dress and adjusted the black crinoline underneath. All around her, the girls of New Directions buzzed with pre-show excitement. Any moment now, the music would start and it would be time to shine. Rachel did some breathing exercises in an attempt to calm her nerves, which were still rattled from her last vision.

Rachel smiled gratefully when Brittany took her hand and squeezed it lightly. "It's gonna be okay, Rach," Brittany said, smiling back.

"I know, Britt," Rachel replied, "we're going to be amazing and we are going to send Vocal Adrenaline crying all the way back to Carmel."

Brittany shook her head. "Everyone knows that," the blond said, as if talking to a small child. "I meant you and Puck. He's totally in love with you."

Rachel's face heated with a blush. "Noah and I..." she said.

Brittany quickly cut her off. "Will totally grow old together and have a million babies because that's what people in love do. Trust me, I know this. I'm kinda psycho."

"Psychic?" Rachel asked with a smile.

"Sure," Brittany said with a shrug. The Cheerio squeezed Rachel's hand one last time before moving into her position in the group. Rachel touched her hair gently, checking to make sure that her headband hadn't shifted back. She took one last breath before she burst out from behind the curtain.

"Does he love me? I wanna know! How can I tell if he loves me so?" she sang, belting out the notes in style. Rachel skipped toward the stage as the verse continued, followed by the rest of the girls singing the response. Mr. Shue's inspiration for New Directions' opening mash-up had come from Grease, so Rachel put on her best Sandy as she hopped up to sit on the edge of the stage and lecture the girls on how to know if a man truly loved you. "Oh oh it's in his kiss," she sang as the girls froze and prepared for the boys to begin.

The boys were already in position when the stage lights flew on. They were all gathered around Noah, outfitted in black pants, white shirts and the leather jackets from their Bon Jovi mash-up. Noah smirked at the audience as he began to sing. "Oh I'm the type of guy who will never settle down, where pretty girls are you know that I'm around..." he sang, letting his inner 'badassness' shine through.

As the boys finished their verse, the girls broke from their tableau and were lifted onto the stage by their dance partners, with the exception of Quinn, who had to take the stairs because of the baby, and Brittany who was dancing with Artie. The two groups started to sing together, the different songs mashing together astonishingly well. Rachel's whole body tingled with glee as she really got into the performance. New Directions had never shone as bright as they did at that moment.

For Rachel, there was only one small stumbling block in the performance. Finn and Mercedes were supposed to take over the leads after Rachel and Noah finished the first part of the mash-up, but Noah had somehow arranged with the rest of the group to continue into the second verse of 'The Wanderer". The lyric in the verse was supposed to be 'and when she asks me, which one I love the best? I tear open my shirt, I got _Rosie_ on my chest' with Finn pulling at his jacket in the original choreography. Instead, Noah sang "I tear open my shirt, I got _Rachel_ on my chest," as he pulled open his jacket to reveal Rachel's name written on the t-shirt he wore under his button up. Noah had winked at her cheekily and then continued as if nothing were amiss.

Had she not been so flustered, flattered and completely overjoyed at the gesture, she would have chewed him out when the rest of the group cleared the stage for Tina's performance of 'Piece of My Heart'. Backstage, the boys changed their jackets for plain black vests and Kurt attacked the girls with extra hairspray to make sure that the voluminous hairstyles he had carefully coiffed stayed in place for the rest of their performance. Finn, Matt and Artie, all suffered the wrath of Kurt and his trusty hairspray, as Kurt deemed the gel holding their hair back completely inadequate in terms of hold.

By the time Tina belted out the last notes of her solo, New Directions was ready to rock the house. Finn, Mercedes, Kurt and Santana took lead vocal duties on 'Dance to the Music' and the choir brought the crowd to its feet. Rachel was focused on the performance, but she did notice that people were out and dancing in the aisles.

New Directions didn't stop making people dance as Brittany and Artie came to the forefront during 'Kids'. Their performance, and chemistry, was more electric than when they'd performed at the Duet Showcase months before. Brittany practically glowed as she danced around Artie's chair while Artie, in return, smouldered during the rap at the end of the song, which had been carefully reworded in order not to offend the judges or the audience.

Rachel's nerves began to hum under her skin as the majority of New Directions danced off the stage as 'Kids' faded out, leaving only her and Noah.

They took their places, side by side, at center stage and Noah took Rachel's hand. She hoped it wasn't sweaty. There was nothing to be nervous about because they'd practiced their song so many times Rachel had lost count, but there was something about being on stage with only Noah, touching him, that had her heart racing.

The song began and Noah turned towards Rachel, lifting her hand to his chest and placing it over his heart. Then he began to sing and everything but the two of them disappeared.

**Never knew I could feel like this**

**Like I've never seen the sky before**

**Want to vanish inside your kiss**

**Every day I love you more and more**

**Listen to my heart, can you hear it sing?**

**Telling me to give you everything**

**Seasons may change, from winter to spring**

**But I love you, until the end of time**

Rachel ran her hand up Noah's chest, brushing her fingers over his cheekbone before slipping her hand behind his neck. Noah placed a hand on her waist, pulling her toward him and lifting Rachel into a spin, still singing.

**Come what may**

**Come what may**

**I will love you, until my dying day**

Noah set Rachel on her feet and let her go. Rachel took a step back from him and began singing her verse, walking around him in a circle.

_Suddenly the world seems such a perfect place_

_Suddenly it moves with such a perfect grace_

As their voices came together, the pair turned to face each other at an angle, so that each would be singing to the other and still be heard.

_**Suddenly my life doesn't seem such a waste**_

_It all revolves around you._

As Rachel faced Noah, a flash of colour in the wings caught her eye. She stared over Noah's shoulder, feeling suddenly dizzy. Standing in the shadow of the curtains were three figures.

_**And there's no mountain too high**_

_**No river too wide**_

_**Sing out this song and I'll be there by your side**_

_**Storm clouds may gather**_

_**Storms may collide**_

An older version of her Noah stood in the shadow, dressed in well-cut suit. His mohawk was gone, but the rest of his hair was still close clipped to his head, making it impossible not to notice his exquisite green-gold eyes. As the Noah from here and now sang to her, the older version in the wings mouthed along.

**But I love you **_(I love you) _**until the end **_(until the end of time) _**of time**

The older Noah's right arm was wrapped around a beautiful little girl, no older that eight or nine. The girl's dark hair fell in ringlets past her shoulders, contrasting beautifully with her big green eyes and purple dress. Quinn's eyes, Rachel realized suddenly. Something deep in Rachel's heart whispered to her. _Beth_. That would be this gorgeous little girl's name, Rachel knew. Tears pricked her eyes as Rachel's vision took in the sign Beth held in her small hands. It was bright pink, the flash of colour that had drawn Rachel's eyes over Noah's shoulder in the first place, and written in big gold letters was 'We love you Mommy!' The exclamation point was even punctuated with a large gold star.

_**Come what may**_

_**Come what may**_

_**I will love you, until my dying day.**_

_**Oh come what may, come what may**_

_**I will love you **__(I will love you)_

A tear of happiness slid down Rachel's cheek as her eyes fell on what future Noah held under his left arm. Supported against his hip was the most beautiful child Rachel had ever seen. The boy was no older than two, with a head full of cherubic curls and Noah's green-gold eyes peering out of his handsome, chubby face. _Benjamin_, Rachel's heart screamed. Her son. Her beautiful boy. The one she had carried for countless centuries but had never seen. Rachel's heart nearly burst with sheer joy as she realized that finally, after countless lives, she and Noah would get to have the family and the life they had always wanted.

_Suddenly the world seems such a perfect place_

The vision faded into the shadows as Rachel and Noah turned out towards the audience. Rachel pushed all of her joy into the final words of the song.

_**Come what may**_

_**Come what may**_

_**I will love you, until my dying day**_

The audience burst into wild, thunderous applause as the song came to a finish. Every single audience member stood as the members of New Directions flooded the stage, taking their bow. Rachel, however, barely noticed the standing ovation the choir received. Instead, she looked at Noah, whose eyes were glassy with tears. Neither could be sure who moved first, but as the applause shook the auditorium, Rachel was suddenly in Noah's arms.

Noah spun Rachel in a giddy circle and then kissed her deeply, in front of everyone. As they kissed, Rachel's mind whispered.

_I am Noah, and I am yours. Forever._

_I am Rachel, and I belong to you. Always._


	23. Come What May

**A/N: Again, everything in my last author's not still applies. Thank you so much for your love and support.**

**BBBB**

Rachel sat on the bench by the pool staring up at the stars. She was having trouble grasping how it could be possible for one single day to change so much.

New Directions, to the great surprise of the show choir community, had placed second out of the five choirs that had competed at the Ohio Regionals. Rachel had been furious that Vocal Adrenaline had won again, especially since New Directions had put on such an amazing show, but she was happy that New Directions had another year to try to make it to Nationals.

The vision she'd had on stage still rocked her. It was indescribable to know that she and Noah actually had a chance this time and seeing her son, their son, in Noah's arms...Rachel didn't think there were enough words in a Thesaurus to do justice to the pure elation and deep love in her heart.

"There you are," Noah said, sitting on the bench beside her. "I've been looking everywhere for you, midget. You're missing the party. I'm pretty sure Mrs. Hudson goaded Miss Pillsbury into trying something from the mini-bar before dinner because she won't stop laughing. Well, she could be high, but I don't think Miss P rolls that way."

Rachel turned to him and studied Noah carefully.

"Noah," she began, "I'm going to ask you something and I want you to answer me honestly."

Noah looked away and rubbed the back of his neck. "We should really get back to the party," he mumbled.

"This morning in my room, you said I swear it'll all be different, and you mentioned all the times you'd failed me in the past. What made you say those things specifically?" she asked.

"Rachel..." Noah pleaded.

"Tell me the truth, Noah. How long have you known?" she demanded.

"That you were seeing things?" he replied.

Rachel shook her head. "About us...about...everything."

Noah sighed and looked away. "Remember the day you told Finn about the baby? In the hallway after you talked to Quinn...something happened."

"That was the first time I saw," Rachel said, taking Noah's hand.

Noah nodded. "It started in the summer, when I was cleaning your neighbour's pool, but that day in the hall was when I actually understood. That was the day I saw the whole picture, you know?"

"You've known all this time?" Rachel said as Noah rubbed his thumb over the back of her hand.

Noah looked at her, frowning. "Yeah," he said finally.

"So you haven't seen anything since then?" she asked.

"Not really. I've had some dreams and flashes, little things mostly, except for last night," Noah replied.

"Last night?"

"Never thought I'd get to see my own funeral," he said, shaking his head.

Rachel squeezed his hand gently. "So what do we do now?" she asked quietly.

Noah stared at her, lifting Rachel's hand and pressing a kiss to her palm. "You know I'm yours, Rach," he said, "forever."

Rachel smiled brightly and kissed Noah hard. When she pulled away, they were both breathless. "I belong to you, always," she replied.

There, under the twinkling Ohio sky, Rachel and Noah knew that come what may, they would face it together and this time, finally, everything would turn out right.


	24. Epilogue

**A/N: I want to dedicate this last little piece to those of you who have been with me since day one and have been so amazing as to leave me a little note with every chapter, but most especially to sweetcaroline1986. Thank you for taking the time to keep me going.**

**BBBB**

**A Star is Gone**

Rachel Puckerman, grand dame of stage and screen, has died. The actress, 94, best known for her Tony award winning performances in Aida, Les Miserables, and Spring Awakening, as well as her Academy Award winning turn as Elphaba in the screen adaption of Gregory Maguire's Wicked, and her husband, decorated songwriter Noah Puckerman, also 94, passed in their sleep late last evening.

The couple had just celebrated their 75th wedding anniversary. They are survived by their children, Beth and Benjamin, as well as seven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. The family had requested that in lieu of leaving flowers and gifts outside the couple's New York home, friends and fans alike make a donation to the Puckermans' New Directions Foundation, which funds music programs in public schools nationwide.

The family has stated that there will be a private memorial for family and close friends, but there will be a network television special so that fans of the couple have a chance to celebrate the couple's lives and work, as well as what will forever be known as one of America's greatest love stories.


End file.
